To find your Boston trash day, look up your address on the city's trash schedule page, because nobody hands you a schedule when you sign a lease. To avoid the fine, put the barrel out only after 5 p.m. the night before pickup.
Boston sets a window for when trash may go to the curb, and going early is a code violation with a fine attached. The city's trash page lists four more fines, from broken containers to illegal dumping, and all of them are avoidable once you know the rules.
This guide covers how to find your Boston trash day, the 5 p.m. set-out rule, the fines, recycling, and the mattress rules at move-out.
First, find your real trash day
Collection day is set by address, so look up your own instead of copying the neighbors.
The city runs an address lookup at Trash Schedule and Search. It returns your collection schedule. There is also a free Trash Day app for iOS and Android that shows your collection calendar, sends reminders, and notifies you when the schedule changes.
Do this on your first day in the unit, before your first trash night.
The 5 p.m. rule, and the $25 fine
Boston renters can set trash out only after 5 p.m. the night before pickup. The city's trash and recycling page says:
Trash can be set out after 5 p.m. the night before your pick-up day
The other end of the window is 6 a.m. on pickup day, when the barrel should already be at the curb. Noon the day before is too early.
$25 each for early set-out, a broken container, or improper storage (trash that is not in a lidded barrel or heavy-duty bags).
$100 for overfilling a barrel or dumpster.
$100 to $10,000 for illegal dumping, which covers vacant lots, public property, parks and playgrounds.
The bigger fines come from volume and placement. Overfilling a barrel costs more than putting it out early, and dumping trash where it does not belong can cost far more than either.
Barrels, bags and lids
Boston requires trash to be contained in a lidded barrel or in heavy-duty bags, and the standard is more specific than people assume.
- Barrels need lids, and the trash has to fit inside. A barrel you cannot close is the "overfilling" violation, not a judgment call.
- If you use bags instead, they must be substantial. The city specifies 2 ply, or 0.9 millimeter or greater plastic. Kitchen bags split on the curb and the contents become your problem again.
- You buy your own containers, and you replace them when they break. The city does not supply trash barrels, and a broken container is its own $25 line in the code.
If your lease does not say who buys and replaces the barrels, ask your landlord early, especially in a shared triple-decker.
Recycling
Boston recycling collection day is set by your address, so look it up the same way you look up your trash day.
Recycling goes in a lidded container, and the city allows heavy-duty clear bags only in certain neighborhoods when you do not have space for a cart. The city supplies a free 64-gallon cart to buildings with six units or fewer, and if your unit does not have one you can request one through the city's recycling page. If the previous tenant took the cart or it was never delivered, ask your landlord, or make the request through the city yourself.
Move-out: how to get rid of a mattress
You cannot just leave a mattress at the curb in Boston. MassDEP bans mattresses from disposal, so they have to be recycled, and the city runs a curbside program to do it. But the program has conditions.
An appointment is required, for every mattress and every box spring. A mattress left out without one does not get collected. Book through the city's curbside mattress recycling page, and call 311 if you need help.
Your building has to be small enough. City pickup is for buildings of six units or fewer. Larger buildings go through the property manager or a private hauler.
There is an annual cap. Ten items per calendar year, then you are on your own.
Soiled or bed-bug-infested mattresses must be bagged and fully sealed, or the crew can skip the pickup.
Futons and mattress toppers are not part of the program. They go out as regular curbside trash. The city also says not to cut or crush a mattress or box spring for collection.
Timing matches the normal set-out rule: curbside by 6 a.m. on pickup day, or after 5 p.m. the night before. If you need to cancel, do it before noon the day before.
Boston's mattress page words the unit cutoff three ways: "more than six units," "7+ units," and once "more than 7 units." The last wording would leave a seven-unit building unclear, so if your building has six or seven units, confirm with 311.
Furniture can be donated or put out as curbside trash. Refrigerators, air conditioners, TVs and similar items go through special item collection, which you also schedule in advance.
If a pickup gets missed
Call 311, or 617-635-4900 for Public Works directly. A missed collection is a service request, so you do not need to go through your landlord first.
Moving on September 1
If you are part of Boston's September 1 turnover, the rules still apply. The curb fills with furniture that nobody scheduled a pickup for. The set-out fines still apply that week, and a mattress still needs an appointment, so book it before you move.
If you are navigating that week for the first time, what Allston Christmas actually involves covers the wider logistics.
FAQ
What time can I put my trash out in Boston? After 5 p.m. the night before your collection day, and by 6 a.m. on the day itself. Putting it out before 5 p.m. the night before is a $25 fine for early set-out.
How do I find my trash day? Use the city's address lookup at the Trash Schedule and Search page, or install the Trash Day app. It is set by address, so check your own instead of copying a neighbor.
Can I leave a mattress at the curb? No. Mattresses are banned from disposal in Massachusetts and need a scheduled curbside recycling appointment. Without one, it will not be collected.
Does the city give me a trash barrel? No. Residents buy and replace their own containers. Barrels must have lids and the trash has to fit inside.
What is the fine for an overflowing barrel? Boston's trash page lists a $100 fine for overfilling a barrel or dumpster.
Who do I call about a missed pickup? 311, or Public Works at 617-635-4900.