Collection is five days a week, Monday through Friday, except during holiday weeks. To find your collection day, see Collection Day Listed by Street Name for a complete listing of collection days sorted by street name and section. View Collection Day Shown on Map to see a map of the collection days.
Use the large blue cart for trash and the large green cart for recycling. If either your trash or recycling container needs to be repaired or replaced, please call the Trash & Recycling Coordinator directly at 978-671-1337 to arrange for service.
Waste Management is the contractor that picks up trash, recycling, bulk items, and white goods, as well as spring and fall yard waste collection. Refer to the Residential Recycling and Trash Guide for detailed information. To schedule pickup for bulk items, white goods, televisions, computers, or large metal items, call Waste Management Customer Service at (800) 972-4545.
Textile Recycling
The Town participates in a free textile recycling program with Helpsy. To schedule a pickup please click here. A list of acceptable items are attached here.
Observed Holidays for Trash and Recycling
Waste Management observes the following holidays:
- New Years Day*
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day*
- Labor Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Christmas Day*
*Consult our current guide calendar if the above listed holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday to confirm collection schedule.
All collections on and following the listed holidays will be delayed by one day, for the remainder of that week.
For any holidays not listed above, collection will be on the regular Monday-Friday schedule.
Single Stream Recycling
Recycling in Billerica is Single Stream Recycling. All your recycling can go together (paper, cardboard, bottles, and cans) into the large green cart. To avoid contamination, all bottles and cans must be emptied and rinsed clean. No plastic bags, trash, or Styrofoam please. Please do not place recyclables in plastic bags.
Missed Trash or Recycling Pickup
If your trash or recycling is not picked up on your collection day, please call Waste Management at (800) 972-4545. If you have any unresolved problems with your collection, call the DPW Trash and Recycling office at (978) 671-1313 x2.
If the missed pickup is reported promptly, a collection for the missed pickup will be scheduled no later than the following business day. If material was not placed out by 7 a.m., or was not correctly prepared, residents must hold on to the material until the next normally scheduled collection day.
Official Overflow Bags
Official Billerica Overflow Bags are available for purchase at the customer service desks at O’Connor Hardware and both Billerica Market Basket locations.
Overflow bags are sold in rolls of 5 bags for $10 (to cover additional labor and disposal costs). Official Billerica Overflow Bags are the only bags that will be picked up outside the trash cart.
Use of Additional Carts (Trash & Recycling)
For the use of an additional trash cart, residents will pay a one-time fee of $65 to cover the cost of the cart and an annual fee (currently $120 per year) to cover additional collection costs. Collection fee covers service year from July 1 to June 30. Total fees for the first year are $185. Thereafter, annual collection fee will be billed by the town and is due on June 15, for each subsequent year.
For the use of an additional recycle cart, residents will pay a one-time fee of $65 to cover the cost of the cart and an annual fee (currently $90 per year) to cover additional collection costs. Collection fee covers service year from July 1 to June 30. Total fees for the first year are $155. Thereafter, annual collection fee will be billed by the town and is due on June 15, for each subsequent year.
All carts remain the property of the Town of Billerica. To cancel billing of collection fee, cart must be returned to Town. Fees must be received prior to delivery. Download the Additional Cart Application or contact the Department of Public Works Administration Office at 978-671-1313 x2 to get an application sent to you.
Compost Bins
Compost bins are now on sale for $25 at the Department of Public Works Administration Office in the Billerica Town Hall, Room G-11.
Mix grass clippings with dried leaves, twigs, pine needles, hay, or straw to start a backyard compost pile. Coffee grounds, fruit, and vegetable scraps can be added to the pile as well. Composting improves the soil by adding nutrients and it saves on disposal costs.
Visit the Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs website for more information. For more information about the benefits and how to compost, please see this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd3dE3ZHSVo
Curbside pickup of food and kitchen waste
There are several companies that provide curbside collection of kitchen waste in Billerica, some of whom even provide you with finished compost:
These are private vendors that residents can take advantage of by registering directly with their preferred company. Please be sure to compare all companies when deciding which is the best fit for you.
Bulk Items
For bulky items that are too large to fit in a trash cart, residents must call Waste Management in advance to schedule a collection. Call (800) 972-4545 to schedule pickup for the next bulk item collection day. Bulk Item Pricing
White Goods, Appliances, & TVs / Computer Monitors
Waste Management will pick up white goods, appliances, and TVs / computer monitors, as well as other large metal items and car tires. Residents must call (800) 972-4545 to schedule and pay for disposal of their item(s). Bulk Item Pricing
Mattresses and Box springs
Beginning November 1, 2022, in response to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) ban on mattress disposal, Waste Management will no longer be collecting mattresses and/or box springs for the Town of Billerica, as they must now be recycled. To schedule a collection by our recycling vendor, UTEC, please go to their website at https://utecinc.org/mattress-recycling/ then scroll down to Schedule Service – Billerica. Fill out the online form by selecting a day and time period and fill in number of each item to be collected, then “Add to cart” to start payment process. UTEC can also be reached at (978) 856-3997.
The following items are not a part of this ban and can be disposed of as a bulk item by calling Waste Management: Futon mattresses, fold-out sofa beds, mattress pads or toppers, infant sleeping pads, air or water bed mattresses.
Other options for disposal include donating, selling or gifting items in good condition, or asking retailers to take your old items when delivering new items.
Recycling Carts
Recycling is done by automated single-stream collection, using green 64-gallon town-supplied recycle carts. Residents should place their recycling carts at the curbside by 7 a.m. on collection day (no earlier than 5 p.m. on the day before).
Carts must be 3 feet away from any obstacles, the handle and wheels of the cart must face away from the street, and the cart lid must be closed.
Recyclable Items
All recyclables can go together in the same cart. The following items should be recycled:
- Cardboard- Loose in cart, or cut and bundled 16″x30″x 8″ thick maximum.
- Catalogs
- Junk mail
- Magazines
- Mixed paper
- Newspaper
- Plastic, glass, and metal bottles or cans
Do not place recyclables in plastic bags. All recyclable material must be free of food, grease, and dirt. Pizza boxes are now being accepted in your recycling bin with all food removed and minimal grease stains. Packing material including plastic shrink wrap and Styrofoam are not recyclable.
Trash is collected by automated collection trucks in blue 64-gallon town-supplied trash carts. Residents should place their bagged trash in their cart and place the cart at the curbside by 7 a.m. on collection day (no earlier than 5 p.m. on the day before).
Trash Carts
Carts must be 3 feet away from any obstacles, the handle and wheels of the cart must face away from the street, and the cart lid must be closed. Any material that does not fit in the trash cart(s) with the lid closed must be placed in an official Billerica Overflow Bag.
Additional Cart
Residents may also pay for the use of an additional cart. If you are interested in purchasing an additional cart, please fill out the Additional Cart Application and return it to the Department of Public Works Administration Office.
Trash & Recycling Carts Accessibility
When there is snow on the ground, residents should take special care to ensure that trash and recycling carts are accessible to the arm of the automated trucks, with a 3-foot clearance around the cart to all obstacles, such as tall snow banks, other carts, overflow bags, mailboxes, trees, and parked cars.
Please avoid placing trash or recycling carts in the plowed roadway by clearing a small area just off the edge of the road for the carts.
Weather Notice
Please be aware that Waste Management will make every effort to complete Trash and Recycle collection on the scheduled day during snow events. In the event that weather conditions prohibit them from completing collections, we will update the DPW page of the Town website, Facebook, and Twitter with information related to any delays.
Please think of the plows when placing your carts out. You should place them where the arm of the collection trucks can reach them, but not where they will conflict with snowplow operations. Thank you!
Yard waste (leaves, grass clippings, small sticks, etc.) is collected for 4 weeks during the spring and 6 weeks during the fall. Please see the collection guide for the next scheduled collection period. Yard waste is collected on the same 5-day schedule as trash and recycling.
Yard waste can be placed in biodegradable paper yard waste bags, or trash barrels that are clearly labeled for yard waste. Yard waste in plastic bags will not be collected.
Household Hazardous Waste
Household Hazardous Waste Day is scheduled every year in Billerica on the third Saturday in May and in October at the Department of Public Works yard located at 250 Boston Road. The collection center will be open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Please view the Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off Flyer for a list of acceptable and unacceptable household hazardous waste.