Boston Leaf and Yard Waste: What the Truck Takes

Every fall I get the same photo texted to me: a row of black plastic bags at the curb, still there two days later. Boston’s yard waste rules are short enough to read in a minute, and the ones that trip people up are the container and the calendar. Here they are straight off the City’s page.

When it gets picked up

The City picks up leaf and yard waste from April to December on scheduled days. Curbside collection is on the same day as your trash day, and if you have two collection days per week, leaf and yard waste goes out on the first collection day of the week. The part people miss is that curbside collection is only available certain weeks, not every week in the season. The City publishes a yard waste calendar and lists the schedule in its Trash and Recycling Day app, and that’s the thing to check before you fill four barrels.

What it has to be in

Leaves and yard debris go in large paper bags, or in open barrels labeled YARD WASTE with a City issued sticker. Branches must be no more than 3 feet long, 1 inch thick, and tied with a string.

What never works

The City says never use plastic bags, large contractor or landscape barrels, collapsible containers, or City issued recycling bins. Collapsible containers trip people up, because the pop up leaf bags look like exactly the right tool for the job. They’re on the do not use list anyway.

The rule that matters when you’re buying

The City does not collect yard waste from buildings with more than 6 units. A larger condo or apartment building has to arrange its own hauling instead. If you’re reading a condo budget this fall and you see landscaping and waste removal running higher than you expected in a building with grounds, this is often part of why, so it’s worth asking about while you have the documents in front of you.

Christmas trees, since it’s the same page

The City collects Christmas trees curbside on your normal trash day during the two weeks following Christmas, and a tree with lights, ornaments, or in a plastic bag will not be collected. Same thing as the leaves, the plastic bag is what gets it left behind.

If you’re buying a house with a yard this fall and you want to know what the outside actually costs to keep, send me the address. I’ll walk it with you before you write anything. Diana Kim, REALTOR®, eXp Realty.