If your cart is missing, please check up and down your street first. Please request what carts you would like picked up or delivered at
CambridgeMA.Gov/RecycleSupplies and we will be in touch. Be sure to write your address on the side of each of your carts.
All waste must be set out by 7AM on your collection day, or after 6PM the night before. If you think any waste collection was missed, please report it at CambridgeMA.Gov/311 (preferred) or leave a voicemail at 617-349-4800. Leave materials at the curb and pickup will be done by the end of the next collection day.
We offer trash cart in three sizes (35-gallon, 45-gallon, and 65-gallon) based on the number of households in a building.
You can find the size of a trash cart by looking at the first two numbers in the serial code on the back of the cart (e.g., “4522...” is a 45-gal cart)
See this PDF for the dimensions of the carts.
The Refuse & Litter Ordinance dictates solid waste policy and the following items are banned from trash disposal in Cambridge:
- Recyclables
- Food Waste**
- Leaves and yard waste
- Textiles (i.e. clothes, sheets, towels)
- Large Appliances
- Metal items (i.e. filing cabinets, furniture)
- Lead acid batteries and other non-alkaline batteries (i.e. lithium-ion, NiCAD, etc)
- Mattresses
- Mercury-containing equipment and lamps
**=Banned starting February 3, 2027
Please contact:
Commission for Persons with Disabilities
51 Inman St., Second Floor
Kate Thurman
617-349-4692 (voice)
617-492-0235 (TTY)
kthurman@cambridgema.gov