Recycling - Do's & Don'ts

City Recycling Cart Logo
Fitchburg Recycles - Do's & Don'ts to Proper Recycling

 Do
  • Place your cart at the curb with the serial number facing the street
  • Place your cart at the curb no earlier than 12 hours before collection
  • Leave 3 feet between carts at the curb
  • Remove the cart from the curb with 12 hours after collection
Don't
  • Don’t place your cart behind an object where the rubbish truck can't access it
  • Don’t overfill the cart, the lids must be able to close
  • Don’t place hazardous or non-recyclable items in your recycle cart

All recyclable material goes in the recycle cart but please rinse the containers of food residue first! Recycle as much as you can! The color of your recycling cart lid matches the color of the collection weeks on the recycling calendar.

Put in the Cart
  • Newspaper with inserts, magazines, catalogs, paperbacks and phone books
  • Junk mail, office paper, paper bags, cardboard boxes
  • Glass bottles and jars
  • Cartons (milk, juice, soup, broth and wine cartons)
  • Tin, steel and aluminum cans with lids, aluminum foil, empty aerosol cans
  • Plastic containers labeled with the following:
Plastic Containers Recycling Labels

These Items Are Not Allowed in the Recycling Cart


  • No plastic bags
  • Styrofoam (even if recycling symbol is on it)
  • No wet or soiled paper
  • No light bulbs, window glass, auto glass, dishes, drinking glasses or Pyrex

If you need additional recycling or rubbish carts, they may be obtained from the City through the Board of Health for a fee of $100/year per rubbish cart and a one-time fee of $60 for a recycling cart. Also, a free recycling drop-off permit to the landfill is available through the Board of Health. For more detail or more disposal options go to Landfill or click http://www.ci.fitchburg.ma.us/546/Landfill.