Massachusetts Waste Bans: What You Can't Put in the Trash
Mattresses, textiles, old TVs, batteries and leaves are banned from Massachusetts trash. What is on the state list, and where to take each item.
A mattress left at the curb in Massachusetts is not trash. Since November 1, 2022, mattresses and textiles have been on the state’s list of materials banned from disposal, and a hauler or transfer station can turn them away. That is why a crew sometimes leaves a tag on an old box spring.
The ban rules sit in MassDEP’s solid waste regulations (310 CMR 19.017). MassDEP’s waste ban page lists every banned material. Towns decide how you get rid of each one.
What changed in November 2022
MassDEP added mattresses and textiles on November 1, 2022, and lowered the commercial food waste threshold to businesses and institutions that generate more than half a ton a week. That food rule does not affect a household bin.
Mattresses means mattresses and box springs. Textiles means clothing, shoes, linens, towels and accessories. Needham’s guidance includes curtains, sheets, blankets, throw rugs, pillows and stuffed animals, “even stained and torn items.”
The full list, and where things go
| Banned from trash | What to do instead |
|---|---|
| Mattresses and box springs | Ask the retailer to haul the old one when delivering the new, use your town’s mattress program, or take it to a mattress recycler. Do not leave one at the curb unless your town runs a scheduled pickup. |
| Textiles (clothes, linens, towels, shoes, bags) | Donate wearable items. Worn-out textiles go to a textile bin or a town collection. Bag them dry. |
| Cathode ray tubes (old TVs and monitors) | Take to a household hazardous waste or electronics collection day, a transfer station that accepts them, or a retailer or recycler. |
| Lead-acid batteries (car and boat batteries) | Return to the retailer or an auto parts store, or take to your transfer station or hazardous waste day. |
| Large appliances (“white goods”) | Ask the delivery company to haul the old one, schedule a town bulky pickup if offered, or use a scrap metal dealer. |
| Ferrous and non-ferrous metals | Scrap metal dealer, or your transfer station’s metal pile. |
| Glass, metal and plastic containers (bottles, cans, jars, jugs, tubs) | Curbside recycling bin, or your town’s drop‑off. |
| Recyclable paper, cardboard and paperboard | Curbside recycling, kept dry and flat. |
| Leaves and yard waste | Town yard waste pickup or compost site, or compost at home. |
| Whole tires (banned from landfills only) | Tire retailer, or the transfer station if it accepts them. |
| Asphalt, brick and concrete; clean gypsum wallboard | Renovation debris: use a private hauler or a transfer station that accepts construction material. |
| Treated and untreated wood (banned from landfills only) | Construction and demolition processors, or your town’s program. |
North Shore examples
How you get rid of a mattress or a bag of textiles depends on the town. These are the programs the cities post themselves.
- Salem: Mattresses and box springs are picked up at the curb by UTEC for $40 per unit, paid to UTEC. Book at utecinc.org/mattress-recycling or call 978-856-3997. A hardship waiver form is on the city’s mattress page. For clothing and textiles, Salem points residents to a curbside pickup with Helpsy at helpsy.com/pickup.
- Beverly: Curbside mattress pickup is through Tough Stuff Recycling (978-307-4118, toughstuffrecycling.info/store); put the mattress out by 7 a.m. on your appointment day. The city’s page also lists appointment drop-off at UTEC in Lowell ($30 per unit) and Tough Stuff in Fitchburg ($22 per unit), with prices subject to change.
- Malden: The city runs curbside textile recycling through Helpsy. Book on Helpsy’s online form, at 800-244-6350 or at [email protected].
- Melrose: Mattresses can go to the City Yard on Saturdays from April through December, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. It costs $40 per item, prepaid on a weekday, and the mattress must be in a plastic bag. Curbside pickup is through Tough Stuff Recycling. Details are on the city’s mattress page.
Textiles: what counts
The textile ban surprises people most.
- Worn-out and torn items count, not just nice clothes. Needham’s list covers “stained and torn” household textiles, and textile recyclers can often take items donation shops cannot.
- Bag them dry. Use a secure plastic bag.
- Shoes and accessories are included, so a pair of worn sneakers is a textile.
What about electronics?
The state ban covers cathode ray tubes, the old television and monitor tubes, not every electronic device. Flat-screen TVs, laptops and phones are not on MassDEP’s list, but they still should not go in the bin. Many contain materials that should be recycled, and towns often run electronics collection days or accept them at the transfer station, sometimes for a fee. The state’s Recyclopedia can tell you where to take a specific item.
What happens if you put it out anyway
The ban is enforced at facilities and haulers, not on households. You will most often meet it as a refusal: a collection crew leaves your mattress behind, a transfer station turns it away, or a hauler tags a bag.
What to look for on your town’s page
- Bulky item or mattress pickup, and whether it needs a sticker or payment.
- A textile bin or collection program.
- The transfer station’s accepted-item list, hours and any permit.
- Hazardous waste and electronics collection days.
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Sources
- MassDEP: Waste Disposal Bansmass.gov
- Town of Needham: Waste ban itemsneedhamma.gov
- City of Salem: Mattress recyclingsalemma.gov
- City of Salem: Recycling and disposal resourcessalemma.gov
- City of Beverly: Mattressesbeverlyma.gov
- City of Malden: Curbside textile recyclingcityofmalden.org
- City of Melrose: Mattress recyclingcityofmelrose.org
Details such as dates, hours and prices come from the sources above and can change. Check with the organizer before you go.
How we report: every date, price and address comes from a linked source.
