Trash

Rules For Service:                

Please have Totes out the night before collection         lids have to be closed (seated/sealed)

bins must be at the edge of curb                 must weigh less than 250lbs 

arm's length from any vehicle and not in front or behind anything    See below diagram 



Residents enrolled in our trash services receive a 64 gallon cart1 per residential unit. Each week, residents are allowed to use up to the 64 gallon capacity. Carts with an open lid are subject to fines and will not be picked up. Do not force trash into the trash cart, this will cause trash to "stick" to the bottom of the cart and prevent complete collection. 


Those who produce more trash or "overflow" trash must use purple overflow bags.

If you produce more than 4 additional bags of trash (those of which do not fit into your trash cart) each week, it may be more reasonable and affordable for you to procure an additional trash and recycling set  the additional set will cost $225 per year/$425 non owner occupied, charged quarterly to your water bill]. At this time, trash and recycling carts always come as a set. If the owner only wants an additional trash cart, he/she will still be required to pay the full fee of $225 or $425 non owner occupied per year.


To get the additional set during these circumstances, we are requesting that residents fill out the form below because our office is closed to the public. The legal owner must:

  1. Complete the form with the request of an additional set
  2. Include a copy of the owner's license (to verify that it is the owner making this request to change the household's billing)
  3. Email or mail us the completed form and a picture/copy of the owner's license
    1. email to: recycle@lowellma.gov
    2. mail to: Solid Waste and Recycling Office, 1365 Middlesex St. Lowell MA, 01851


Click below for Purple bag Vendors  "over flow bags" 

  1. Offical List of Purple Bag Vendors

Note :  You can only put out Five (5) Purple bags a week.

Purple bag

Click and fill out the below Affidavit for New, Additional, Stolen/Missing and Elderly service         

  1. Affidavit 9-24-2024 (2)

Elderly Regular

Lg Sm Trash
Lg Sm Recycling

                                                                                       * Those receiving an elderly discount are issued a 34 gallon trash bin. See above photo for size

                                                                                             difference. 

Waste ban items are prohibited from disposal with solid waste (trash/garbage) due to their toxic nature or ability to be recycled. To improve recycling markets, increase retrieval of critical raw materials, decrease volumes going to landfills or incinerators, and protect our environment, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has listed the following as waste ban items:

  • Construction material including asphalt pavement, brick, concrete, wood and clean gypsum wallboard (Dry wall)
  • Cathode ray tubes
  • Glass, metal and plastic containers (bottles and jars)
  • Recyclable paper, cardboard and paperboard
  • Leaves and yard clippings / waste
  • Lead acid batteries (ex. car batteries)
  • Metals (ferrous and non-ferrous)
  • Large appliances such as refrigerators, freezers, stoves, washers, and dryers (also known as white goods)
  • Whole tires (banned from landfills only; shredded tires acceptable)
  • Commercial food material (only from businesses or institutions that dispose of one ton or more per week)
Please note that many of these items cannot be put in the recycling cart. You must contact an outside source, such as Waste Management or another private hauler.

For more information, you can visit MassDEP's Waste Ban page.