Misc. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Trash and Recycling FAQ

 

When is the City Yard open?

                The city yard is open for drop-off services on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays 7:30 AM - 2:45 PM and seasonal Saturdays 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM (April-November). During these hours, you may drop off electronics (with weekday prepayment), yard waste, recycling, or pickup compost. Please ensure that your Melrose recycling car sticker is visible when pulling into the yard. Mattress drop-off is ONLY available on Saturdays with weekday pre-payment.

                The city yard office is open Monday thru Friday 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM for questions/concerns, payments, and scheduling pickups of metal, mattresses, or household electronics.   

What day is my recycling and/or trash picked up?

                Please look for your street on the pickup schedule linked here to see which day your trash and recycling are picked up.

**Remember** collection on holiday weeks will be delayed one day late on days following the holiday. If your trash pick-up is normally Friday, it will be delayed until Saturday on delayed pick-up weeks. Delays may also occur due to storm events with notice provided as information becomes available as the storm approaches.

My trash and/or recycling wasn’t picked up, why? What should I do next?

Ask yourself these four questions:

  1. Were my barrels out by 7:00 AM on pickup day?
  2. Were my barrels visible to the driver or easy to access from the road?
  3. Do my barrels weigh no more than 45 pounds each?
  4. Is there anything in my barrels that should not be there (i.e. hazardous chemicals, sharps, soil, etc)?

If the answer is “no” to the first three questions or yes to last question, that could be why your waste was not picked up. To ensure that your trash is picked up properly and on time, please place your barrels on the curb no later than 7 AM on your pickup day and no earlier than 5 PM the evening before. Your barrels should weigh no more than 45 pounds each and all waste should be placed in city compliant bins. Please ensure that your barrels are visible and accessible for pickup. Blocked or obstructed barrels may prevent pickup. Republic/JRM employees are not permitted to enter private property for waste pickup (this includes driveways, yards, and garages).

If there is in issue with your trash or recycling related to the questions above, please ensure that those issues are resolved and call 781-665-0142 to let us know that your trash pickup was missed.

Please reach out via phone if there is a different issue related to missed trash pickup.

What can and cannot be put into the trash bin? Recycling bin?

Certain things can and cannot go into your trash or recycling bins. For example, gravel, stones, concrete, shingles, wood, and plaster are all examples of items that should NOT be put into a trash or recycling bin. Styrofoam, bubble wrap, plastic shopping bags, and napkins may not be placed into the recycling bin. If you are still unsure of what can/cannot be put in a trash or recycling bin, check out Recyclopedia or call (781) 665-0142.

How do I get rid of a bulky item?

                Before disposing this item, consider donating or selling the item first. If the item still works/is in useable condition, you may be able to arrange donation to charity or selling it on Facebook Market place, Craigslist, or any other resale site. 

City of Melrose residents are allowed ONE (1) bulky item to be picked up curbside with their regular household trash. Simply place the bulky item next to your household waste barrels and Republic/JRM will pick it up. Bulk items include but are not limited to couches (excluding sleep sofas), carpets, wooden bed/futon/crib frame (non-metal), wooden furniture, table only (chairs count as 1 bulk item each).

Please see further questions below for mattress, metal, and electronics recycling.

I have a metal appliance/furniture ready for disposal. How do I get rid of it?

                To dispose of any metal item, you must purchase a metal disposal sticker from the City Yard office during open hours. Metal items include but are not limited to refrigerators, stoves, dishwashers, microwaves, sleep sofas, metal chairs, metal bed/futon frames, etc. A sticker must be placed on a visible spot on the metal item in order to be picked up. If you are disposing multiple metal items, a sticker is required for EACH metal item. A fee of $25 is due at time of sticker pickup. You may pay in person with cash or check at the DPW city yard office or online with credit/debit card*. Please make checks payable to “City of Melrose”. A work order will be processed to alert city drivers to pick up the item at your address.

Metal pickups occur EVERY Tuesday. Simply place your item curbside with the sticker on no later than 7:00 AM on your Tuesday pick-up day. Metal items can also be dropped off at Saturday Recycling Events for $25.

*If you choose to pay online with credit/debit cards, please do so from a personal device. If you choose to pay with this method, you must email recycle@cityofmelrose.org or call 781-665-0142 to alert Melrose DPW of your purchase once it has been processed. This will ensure that your item gets added to the pickup schedule for metal goods collection day.

**Please Note** Metal items cannot be picked up from condominiums or apartment buildings with more than 6 units. Please see below for what alternatives are available for metal item disposal

I have a mattress that I need to get rid of. How do I get rid of it?

               Mattresses are no longer permitted to be disposed of in your curbside trash per state-wide waste ban. To recycle your mattress, follow these steps:

  1. Determine how many units you wish to recycle (each mattress, box spring, or crib mattress is considered a unit). Units that are wet/moldy/infested with insects will not be accepted for the mattress recycling program and is considered rubbish.
  2. Schedule/pay for curbside collection of mattresses directly through Tough Stuff Recycling by visiting their online scheduling portal. Curbside collection costs $54.00.
  3. You may also arrange for city yard drop off. City yard drop-off costs $33.00 per unit. Mattress units are only accepted on Saturdays with weekday pre-payment* ONLY. Please visit the Mattress Recycling page for more information.
  4. Rest easy – your mattress is getting recycled!

*If you choose to pay online with a credit/debit card, please do so from a personal device. If you choose to pay with this method, you must email recycle@cityofmelrose.org or call 781-665-0142 to alert Melrose DPW of your purchase once it has been processed. 

I have a TV/Laptop/Computer monitor/household electronic to get rid of. What do I need to do to dispose of it?

TVs and computer monitors can be picked up curbside on Tuesdays with a $25 purchased sticker from the city yard office. You may schedule a day for pickup at the time of purchasing a sticker. You may also drop off TVs, laptops, computer monitors, or other household electronics on open city yard hours (Mon, Tues, Thurs 8-2:45 PM) for a $20 fee. Please note that computer towers, printers, fax machines, scanners, stereo receivers, and any other household electronics are collected for a $5 fee. Items that require payment may not be brought to the city yard on Saturdays unless payment has occurred in advance.

I have an old fire extinguisher/empty propane tank. Does the city accept these items for recycling?

Yes! These items cannot be placed with regular household recycling, but you may drop these items off for a small fee at the city yard during hours when the office is open. Please review the schedule of fees to see updated costs of disposal/recycling of certain items.

I have motor oil/antifreeze/other hazardous waste to dispose of. Can I drop that off at the city yard?

No. You must drop off any hazardous waste at a special event listed here. The fee depends on the amount of material that you are disposing. If you are unable to make it to a hazardous waste event hosted by Melrose, you may attend another hazardous waste event hosted by a reciprocal municipality nearby. See that list here.

What do I do with batteries and light bulbs?


The city yard accepts CFLs, fluorescent bulbs, and tubes from residents. The first four bulbs are free for drop off, then are $1 each. For bulbs longer than 4 feet long, there is a $3 drop-off fee. Batteries may be dropped off at the city yard for free. Please see the resident services representative to locate drop-off location.

Does the city yard accept trash?

No. The city yard does not accept trash drop-offs. The city yard accepts recyclable materials (separated by material) and yard waste only.

What do I do with my leftover latex paint?

Please make sure that the paint is completely dry before dropping them off. An easy & quick way to dry latex paint is to fill the containers with kitty litter and stir it in. Leave the sticks in the paint cans so that the city yard employee can easily inspect the paint and make sure it is dry. They will show you where to leave the cans.

I am interested in rain barrels and/or compost bins. Can I buy one through the city?

The City of Melrose DPW will host another rain barrel sale in Spring 2024. Please check back for updates regarding a sale event in Spring 2023!

Compost bins are currently available for sale at the city yard but are limited. Please call 781-665-0142 to reserve your bin today.

Can I recycle Polystyrene (Styrofoam)?

No, polystyrene is unable to be recycled with the City of Melrose at this time. Please place polystyrene items in with your household trash.

I live in a condo/apartment building, am I able to participate in the metal pickup service offered by Melrose?

Unfortunately, no. Residential buildings that contain more than 6 units are not eligible to participate in metal pick up services. You may however drop off metal items during any special event hosted by Melrose DPW. A $25 fee will still apply when you drop off a metal item.

What about mattress recycling?

If you live in a condo/apartment building with more than 6 units, you may still participate in the mattress recycling program for pick-up or drop off services. You may have to let your landlord know if you plan on having pick-up service from your building.

I live in an apartment that does not recycle. What can I do?

You may contact your landlord to see if adding a recycling service to your trash pick-up would be possible. If not, all Melrose residents are able to recycle most goods at the city yard during open hours (Mon, Tues, Thurs 7:30 AM – 2:45 PM, and seasonal Saturdays 8 AM - 3 PM). Please note that there is no single stream recycling at the city yard, so please separate by material prior to your arrival.

I’m moving, what do I do with the trash?

Large clean-outs of homes due to change in ownership or other extenuating circumstance are not picked up by the city. Please arrange for a private dumpster & hauling company to dispose of any trash related to large scale clean outs.

What can I do with my yard waste?

Yard waste can be dropped off at the city yard during open hours (Mon, Tues, Thurs, and seasonal Saturdays 7:30 AM - 2:45 PM) or picked up curbside on scheduled pickup weeks. See that schedule here. If you would like to have your yard waste picked up, please place your barrels or bags out no later than 7:00 AM on your regularly scheduled pickup day. Collection on holiday weeks will be picked up one day late after the holiday, with Friday’s collection on Saturday.

Yard waste includes: Leaves, grass clippings and brush up to one inch (1”) in diameter (bundled and tied). No dirt allowed. Yard waste must be set out in paper leaf bags or in barrels. All bags and barrels must be less than 45 gallons and 45 pounds. There is a 10 barrel/bag maximum per pick up. Barrels must be labeled “yard waste” to avoid confusion with regular household waste. Yard waste barrel stickers are available for free at the Public Works Operations Facility at 72 Tremont Street. Yard waste barrels without stickers will not be picked up with other yard waste and cannot be picked up as trash.

You may also compost yard waste! Find more information for composting here!

How can I compost?

Composting is a natural process that "recycles" organic material that is beneficial to the health and growth of plants (also known as "black gold"). Compost is made up of food scraps, small yard waste, and any other organic material! Simply collect organic material produced at home into a container like the Earth Machine. When organic scraps are fully composted, the compost can be added to the soil of your gardens & flower beds to produce strong and healthy plants! We have a very limited supply of Earth Machine containers left at the city yard, please call to inquire about availability if you are interested!

Still want to compost but don't need the compost at home? Consider subscribing to curbside compost pick up programs through local companies such as Bootstrap, Black Earth, and more! The City does not currently offer composting pickup services, but we strongly encourage our residents to participate in any way possible!

For more information, please visit our Compost Information page

Can’t everything with a recycling symbol go in my recycling bin?

Unfortunately, no. Just because something is designated as being “recyclable” with the chasing arrows symbol on it doesn’t mean that it can go in a curbside recycling container. For example, plastic grocery bags – even when they have the recycling symbol on them – cannot go in the curbside recycling container. They must be dropped off at grocery stores to be recycled. And Styrofoam (even when marked with #6) and large rigid plastics cannot go in the curbside bin either. Consult our guide for accepted recycling. If a product doesn’t have a recycling logo on it then it shouldn’t go in the recycling container. We don’t want to contaminate the recycling with non-recyclable items. If you find yourself having to dispose of a lot of items that don’t have the chasing arrows logo on them, consider finding a reusable version of the item or an alternative that is in a recyclable container.

Still don't see your question? Please call 781-665-0142 or email recycle@cityofmelrose.org with your question!