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1. When is my trash and recycling picked up?

Your trash and recyclables are picked up at curbside once each week. The collection day depends on where you live. If you don’t know which day, call 617-730-2156 or download the We Recycle Brookline app on IOS or Android on your mobile device.

All trash, recyclables, yard waste, bulk items and CRTs (TVs), must be placed at curbside by 7 a.m. on the pickup day, but no earlier than 3:30 p.m. the night before. Please be careful if you put the trash / recycle containers out the night before, since animals may tear open bags or get into trash barrels during the night. Collectors will not pick up trash that is not in a container. Unacceptable material will be left at curbside along with a violation notice.

See the schedule by street.

2. Where does my trash and recycling go?

Our sanitation trucks bring it to our own transfer station located at 815 Newton St. There it is loaded into trailers and sent to a Waste to Energy Facility - operated by Covanta SEMASS. Our recycling, which is handled by Casella Resource Solutions, is sent to their materials recovery facility which is located in Charlestown, MA.

3. How do I get a blue recycling cart?

Blue recycling carts are issued to each household that subscribes to town trash service.. Please call 617-730-2156 if your cart is missing or you need an additional cart.

4. What happens if my collection day falls on a holiday?

Your trash will be picked up the next day, and everyone else whose collection day follows the holiday will have their trash picked up 1 day later than usual, so that Friday’s trash will be picked up on Saturday for that week.

5. What do I do with my hazardous waste?

The Sanitation Division has set up a household hazardous waste collection center located at 815 Newton St. It will be open every Tuesday from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. from May through October. Please visit the hazardous waste webpage for a list of acceptable items.

Rechargeable batteries, mercury containing items, and lightbulbs can be brought to the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center every Tuesday from 7:30AM to 12:30PM May through October. Please safely store these items safely during the winter months. 

6. What do I do with my hazardous waste in the winter?

November is here, meaning hazardous waste will be coming to an end for the season until the first Tuesday in May 2021.

Do you have hazardous products between November and April? If you are moving out of Brookline or if you have any questions on how to dispose of hazardous material, contact John King by calling (617)-879-4908 or emailing [email protected].

7. Are there any restrictions on what I can put in my trash?

Yes. By state ruling the following are not allowed in the trash:

• Computer monitors
• Fluorescent light bulbs
• Glass bottles
• Hazardous wastes
• Lumber or other home construction materials from home repair
• Metal items or cans
• Ni-cad batteries
• Recyclables such as newspapers
• Rubber tires
• Television sets
• Yard waste (grass, leaves, and brush)

8. What are special pickups?

The Sanitation Division will pick up large bulk items, including couches, white goods, stoves, refrigerators, air conditioners, CRTs, TVs, etc. You must call 617-730-2156 1 week in advance of your regular trash pickup to schedule. This is for town service residents only.

9. Who do I call if I see illegal dumping?

If you see any illegal dumping or other environmental hazards occurring in your neighborhood, please call your Sanitation Inspector at 617-879-4900.

10. What should I do with yard waste?

Yard waste is defined as leaves, grass clippings, shrub trimmings, plant cuttings and non-woody organic garden waste only. Brush is defined as wood waste from bushes and trees that is less than 3 inches in diameter. Materials such as dirt, sand, sod, rocks, stumps or trunks will not be accepted.

Pieces of brush must be no more than 3 inches in diameter and no more than 3 feet long. Brush must be tied and bundled in lengths of 3 feet or less and weigh no more than 50 pounds per bundle. Brush not meeting the above criteria will not be accepted. For yard waste, biodegradable paper yard waste bags are available for purchase at the Home Depot or at your local hardware store. Prices and availability may vary. You don’t necessarily have to put yard waste in the special biodegradable bags. You can put them in barrels clearly marked “Yard Waste” and leave them out on the same day that your trash is collected during the weeks that yard waste is collected. Yard waste stickers are available at the Town Hall 4th floor or the Municipal Service Center at 870 Hammond St.

No plastic bags are acceptable. The paper bags are used because they are more cost efficient to pick up and are known to be biodegradable, thus saving the town (and the taxpayer) money in collection costs. Please call the Sanitation Department at 617-730-2156 if you have questions.