What goes in Boston's blue recycling bin?
Cardboard and paper, including shipping boxes, cereal boxes, egg cartons, paper-towel rolls, office paper, newspaper, paper bags, magazines, and junk mail. Plastic drink bottles, milk jugs, yogurt cups, tubs and lids, and shampoo bottles. No black plastic. Metal cans and foil. Glass beer bottles, other beverage bottles, and pickle jars.
What does Boston refuse in the recycling bin?
Plastic bags, Styrofoam, food and liquids, black plastic, scrap metal such as pots, pans, springs, pipes, and car parts, plus hangers, ropes, hoses, and VHS tapes. Lithium-ion, Ni-Cad, lithium primary, and lead-acid batteries stay out of both trash and recycling. Tape the terminals.
When does the Boston recycling cart go to the curb?
After 5 p.m. the evening before collection day, and it needs to be out before 6 a.m. The Trash Day app shows the schedule. Putting it out earlier can draw a code violation.
Can I use a bag or a cardboard box instead of a Boston recycling cart?
Plastic shopping bags and black or white trash bags are not recycling. Heavy-duty clear bags are allowed only when a building does not have space, and only in Back Bay, Bay Village, Beacon Hill, Charlestown, Fenway, Mission Hill, the North End, Roxbury, South Boston, the South End, and the West End. A cardboard box cannot stand in for a bin. Extra cardboard gets flattened, bundled, tied, and set next to the bin, and no piece longer than 3 feet.
What happens if I put trash in a Boston recycling barrel?
City recycling barrels are for recycling only. Trash or yard waste in one can bring a code enforcement violation. The barrel may not be collected, and the city may take it. A spare container has to be smaller than 32 gallons, with wheels, a lid, a lift bar, and a recycling sticker from 311.