Boston, MA Waste Collection Schedule
Complete waste management schedule including trash pickup, recycling, bulk waste, and special collections for Boston.
Collection Zones & Pickup Days
Find your neighborhood to see your collection schedule
View Interactive Zone MapZone 1 - Monday/Thursday Collection Areas
Neighborhoods:
- •Back Bay
- •Beacon Hill
- •Bay Village
- •North End
- •West End
- •Downtown
- •Chinatown
- •Fenway-Kenmore
- •Mission Hill
Zone 2 - Tuesday/Friday Collection Areas
Neighborhoods:
- •South End
- •South Boston (Southie)
- •Seaport District
- •Fort Point
- •Marine Industrial Park
- •City Point
- •Andrew Square
- •West Broadway
Zone 3 - Wednesday Collection Areas
Neighborhoods:
- •Allston
- •Brighton
- •Chestnut Hill (Boston portion)
- •Oak Square
- •Washington Heights
- •Packard's Corner
- •Union Square (Allston)
- •Cleveland Circle
Zone 4 - Thursday Collection Areas
Neighborhoods:
- •Charlestown
- •Navy Yard
- •Bunker Hill
- •Thompson Square
- •Sullivan Square
- •City Square
- •Mishawum
- •Monument Square
Zone 5 - Friday Collection Areas
Neighborhoods:
- •East Boston
- •Jeffries Point
- •Eagle Hill
- •Orient Heights
- •Maverick Square
- •Day Square
- •Central Square (East Boston)
- •Constitution Beach
Zone 6 - Dorchester Collection Areas
Neighborhoods:
- •Dorchester
- •Fields Corner
- •Codman Square
- •Uphams Corner
- •Savin Hill
- •Ashmont
- •Peabody Square
- •Lower Mills
- •Meeting House Hill
- •Port Norfolk
- •Neponset
- •Adams Village
Zone 7 - Roxbury & Jamaica Plain Collection Areas
Neighborhoods:
- •Roxbury
- •Jamaica Plain
- •Dudley Square
- •Egleston Square
- •Jackson Square
- •Stony Brook
- •Forest Hills
- •Hyde Square
- •Moss Hill
Zone 8 - West Roxbury, Roslindale, Hyde Park & Mattapan
Neighborhoods:
- •West Roxbury
- •Roslindale
- •Hyde Park
- •Mattapan
- •Bellevue Hill
- •Spring Hill
- •Readville
- •Cleary Square
- •Cleary Square
- •Fairmount Hill
Service Provider
municipalBoston Public Works Department
Bulk Waste Pickup
Accepted Items
- •Refrigerators and freezers (doors removed, no food inside)
- •Water coolers
- •Ice makers
- •Air conditioners
- •Dehumidifiers
- •Televisions (all types including CRT)
- •Laptops and computers
- •Computer monitors
- •Large furniture items
- •Mattresses (available through separate mattress recycling program)
Not Accepted
- •Construction debris
- •Business/commercial waste
- •Hazardous materials
- •Tires
- •Propane tanks
- •Medical waste
Special collection is for items containing Freons (refrigerators, freezers, AC units, dehumidifiers) and CRT devices (TVs, monitors). Appointment required - call 311 or schedule online. Items must be placed curbside by 6 AM on appointment day. Free service for Boston residents. Separate mattress recycling program available - visit boston.gov/mattress-recycling.
Recycling Program
Accepted Materials
- •Paper: Newspapers, magazines, catalogs, junk mail, paper bags, cardboard, paperback books, greeting cards
- •Plastics: #1, #2, #5 containers - bottles, jugs, food containers, rigid plastic containers, takeout containers
- •Metals: Aluminum cans, steel and tin cans, empty aerosol cans, aluminum/steel baking trays, jar lids and bottle caps
- •Glass: All bottles and jars (clear, green, brown)
- •Cardboard: Shipping boxes, clean pizza boxes (flattened), cereal boxes, paper towel rolls
- •Cartons: Milk cartons, juice cartons, soup cartons, wine cartons
Not Accepted
- •Plastic bags and film (return to retail stores)
- •Styrofoam and polystyrene foam
- •Food-soiled materials
- •Plastic #3, #4, #6, #7
- •Disposable plates and cups
- •Batteries and electronics
- •Needles and syringes
- •Clothing hangers, ropes, hoses (tanglers)
- •Tissues and paper towels
- •Waxed cardboard
- •Shredded paper
- •Small items (smaller than 2x2 inches)
- •Scrap metal
- •Textiles and clothing
- •Cords and cables
- •Wood
Boston uses single-stream recycling - all recyclables go together in one blue bin or blue bag. Rinse containers and remove food/liquids. Do NOT bag recyclables - place items loose in bin. Flatten cardboard boxes. Small items (less than 2x2 inches) fall through sorting equipment and contaminate recycling - put in trash instead. Tanglers (ropes, hoses, hangers, cords) damage sorting equipment - keep out. Place recycling at curb by 6 AM on collection day. Recycling is processed at Casella Waste Systems MRF in Charlestown. Free blue recycling bins available from the city.
Holiday Schedule
Trash and recycling collection is delayed in some Boston neighborhoods during city-observed holiday weeks. The general policy is: when a holiday falls on a collection day, service is delayed by one day for the remainder of that week. However, delays vary by neighborhood - some areas maintain regular schedules while others are delayed. City holidays affecting collection include: New Year's Day (Jan 1), Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Jan 20), Presidents' Day (Feb 17), Patriots' Day (Apr 21), Memorial Day (May 26), Juneteenth (June 19), Independence Day (July 4), Labor Day (Sept 1), Indigenous Peoples' Day (Oct 13), Veterans Day (Nov 11), Thanksgiving (Nov 27), and Christmas (Dec 25). ALWAYS check the Trash Day app or call 311 to confirm your specific collection schedule during holiday weeks, as delays vary by address.
Important Information
Official Data Sources
- https://www.boston.gov/departments/public-works
- https://www.boston.gov/departments/public-works/trash-and-recycling-day-schedule-and-search
- https://www.boston.gov/trash-and-recycling
- https://www.boston.gov/departments/public-works/special-collection-items
- https://www.boston.gov/departments/public-works/get-rid-household-hazardous-waste
- https://www.boston.gov/departments/public-works/zero-waste-day
- https://www.boston.gov/departments/public-works/leaf-and-yard-waste-schedule
- https://www.boston.gov/departments/public-works/recycling-boston
- https://www.boston.gov/departments/public-works/mattress-recycling
- https://www.boston.gov/departments/public-works/project-oscar
- https://www.boston.gov/departments/public-works/curbside-food-waste-collection
- https://www.boston.gov/departments/311/2025-city-boston-holidays
- https://www.bostoncomposts.com/
- https://www.wastedive.com/news/boston-finally-reaches-recycling-deal-with-casella/557403/
- https://local.casella.com/Recycling/MA/Boston-MA