Do:

• break, cut, crush, etc. to get materials to fit in the blue cart
• bag all trash and place it in the blue cart
• throw out materials that are not recyclable, reusable, or compostable
• purchase orange overflow bags for occasional excess trash and place them curbside for collection

Don't:

• dispose of recyclable materials in the blue cart
• dispose of yard waste
• dispose of construction & demolition materials
• dispose of household hazardous waste
• dispose of sharps, needles, and medications
• include bulky items in your cart

How to Set Your Blue Cart Out for Collection:

1. Park It On your collection day, wheel your carts to the curb by 7:00am on your collection day, or as early as 4:00pm the day before collection.
2. Point It The carts must be within 3 feet of the curb with the wheels and handle facing your house (make sure lid opens towards the street). All trash (blue cart) and recycling (green cart) must be placed in the cart with lid closed. No material outside the cart will be collected.
3. Space It The cart must be at least 3 feet from objects (including parked cars, fire hydrants, telephone poles, trees, bulky waste, other carts, mail boxes, etc.). If possible, please do not park on the street on your collection day.

Obstructed carts may be rejected.

Providing one trash (blue) cart per household is an equitable solution to trash collection. In several surveys conducted in Newton, most residents could use the one 64-gallon cart for their weekly trash needs. The more you reduce, reuse, and recycle, the less likely it is that you will encounter overflow trash.

To manage occasional overflow trash, you can purchase 33-gallon orange overflow bags at many Newton retailers. These are the only acceptable bags for extra trash collection in Newton. Each bag is $2.25 and sold in sleeves of 5, for a total of $11.25.

You can place orange overflow bags next to your trash cart on collection day, making sure that they do not obstruct the cart. There is no limit to the number of bags that can be placed curbside, but they must not contain recyclables, hazardous materials, or other banned items.

To manage frequent overflow trash, you can submit an application for an extra trash cart and pay the annual fee online. An extra 35-gallon trash cart costs $150 annually and an extra 64-gallon trash cart costs $200 annually. Payment can be made online. Payment of the annual fee must be current or additional carts are subject to removal.

Don't need so much space for trash? You can swap your 64-gallon cart for a 35-gallon cart at any time. Contact Customer Service at 617-796-1000 for more information.

The Newton Recycling & Trash Ordinance specifically states that move-outs and clean-outs are not included in municipal trash collection services. In these circumstances, residents must work with a private hauling service. The Resource Recovery Center is available to Newton residents for metals, rigid plastics, other recyclable materials, and to donate many (but not all) usable goods.

Items that are too large to fit into the blue trash cart are called bulky items. 

Click HERE for all the details on requesting a bulky item pickup.  

• Cardboard is not bulky waste. Cut, fold or flatten cardboard so that it fits in the green recycling cart or bring excess to the Resource Recovery Center.
• Appliances, metal items, electronics items are not accepted as bulky waste.
• Mattresses and box springs are not accepted as bulky waste as of 11/01/2022 due to a statewide disposal ban.  
• There is a weight limit of 150 pounds per item. Items that exceed the weight limit require privately contracted service.
• Overflow trash and construction materials are not bulky waste.
• Christmas trees (natural trees) are not bulky waste. Christmas trees are picked up during the first two weeks of January.

Construction & Demolition List (PDF)

See Household Hazardous Waste.

City Ordinance Section 11-6 of the Newton Trash and Recycling Ordinance allows collection service to nonprofit organizations for a fee. Any non-profit in Newton may apply for this service, and each property address is limited to 4 sets of carts. The non-profits participating in this service are required to abide by ordinances related to trash and recycling collection by residents in Newton.

• Each blue trash cart = $200/year
• Each green recycling cart = $150/year
• Total for 1 set of carts = $350/year

The permit year runs from November 1st to October 31st. One recycling cart is required for each trash cart. Recycling cart(s) can be provided without trash carts. The fee is prorated for new requests. Payment of the annual fee must be current or carts will be subject to confiscation.

The fee reflects the collection, transport and disposal of the solid waste or recycling placed into the carts. This service is similar to a residential service with a blue cart for trash collection and a green cart for recycling collection, collected weekly on the neighborhood’s collection day. The non-profit program does not include yard waste collections or bulky waste collections.

For more information, please contact Customer Service at (617) 796-1000. Applications are available at City Hall Customer Service or apply online.

Businesses & Multi-Family Properties

All businesses and institutions, and many multi-family properties are not entitled to city-provided waste collection services and must make private arrangements.  

Refer to our Recycling for Businesses & Multi-Family Properties page for information on waste reduction and recycling information. 

RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts is a recycling assistance program designed to help businesses and institutions maximize recycling, reuse, and composting opportunities. Funded by Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) and administered by Center for EcoTechnology (CET).