Somerville, MA Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)

Somerville's yard waste rules live in § 11-31 alongside the rest of the household trash ordinance. The code defines 'yard waste/debris' as grass clippings, weeds, hedge clippings, garden waste, and twigs and brush not longer than three feet in length. Subsection (j) sets the operative rule: tree trimmings, hedge clippings and similar material must be cut to a length not exceeding three feet and securely tied in bundles before being set at the curb, or disposed of in paper leaf bags or in barrels carrying a 'yard waste' sticker issued by the department of public works.

A paper leaf bag has its own specification under § 11-31(b): a sanitary kraft paper sack of 30-gallon capacity, two-ply, 50-pound wet strength, with a reinforced self-supporting square bottom. m. Earth, stones, tree trunks and large tree limbs fall outside the yard-waste program entirely; § 11-31(l)(2) makes those the resident's own disposal responsibility rather than a DPW pickup item. Bundling material longer than three feet, or setting out unbundled brush, risks having it treated as an unauthorized bulk item that the crew will pass by.