Mattresses & box springs
Banned since November 1, 2022, in every size. Use your town’s mattress collection, a retailer’s haul-away when you buy a new one, or a donation center if it’s like new.
Guide · Massachusetts waste bans
What you can’t put in the trash in Massachusetts, and where it goes instead
Massachusetts bans mattresses, clothing and other textiles, old tube TVs, large appliances, tires, car batteries, yard waste, recyclables, and several building materials from the trash. Each one has somewhere else to go, usually through your town, a retailer, a recycler, or a donation center, and this guide walks through the official list item by item.
The rule
How the Massachusetts waste bans work
Massachusetts doesn’t just encourage recycling. The Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) bans certain materials from being disposed of, or sent for disposal, at landfills, trash incinerators, and transfer stations. The rules are in the state’s solid waste regulations at 310 CMR 19.017.
The first bans started in 1990. The newest ones, on mattresses and textiles, took effect on November 1, 2022.
The bans are enforced where trash ends up. Disposal facilities must have a plan to inspect incoming loads and keep banned materials out, and MassDEP inspects the facilities. MassDEP also recommends that town trash contracts tell haulers not to collect banned materials. So anything on the list needs its own trip, pickup, or program instead of riding along with your regular trash.
Most banned materials end up in one of these places:
- Your town’s regular recycling, drop-off, or special collection programs
- Retailers that take back old car batteries, tires, or TVs
- Recyclers, scrap yards, and construction debris processors
- Donation centers, for things that still have life in them
The official list
Every material on MassDEP’s ban list
Here is MassDEP’s current list in plain words, with where each item usually goes.
Textiles
Clothing, shoes, bedding, towels, curtains, and fabric, banned since November 1, 2022. Clean, dry items go to textile bins, thrift stores, or a town textile collection, even if they’re worn or torn.
Tube TVs & monitors (CRTs)
Older TVs and computer monitors with cathode ray tubes contain lead, and the rules require everyone to keep them out of the trash. Take them to a town electronics collection or a recycler.
Large appliances
Refrigerators, freezers, stoves, washers, dryers, dishwashers, water heaters, and air conditioners. Towns collect them through appliance or scrap metal programs, and refrigerant must be recovered before a unit is scrapped.
Whole tires
Banned from landfills. Leave old tires with the shop when you buy new ones, or use a town or private tire drop-off, often for a small per-tire fee.
Car & truck batteries
Lead-acid batteries were among the first items banned. Most battery retailers take your old one when you buy a new one, and many service stations, scrap yards, and town collections accept them.
Leaves & yard waste
Leaves, grass clippings, weeds, hedge clippings, garden waste, and brush under about an inch thick. Compost it at home, or use your town’s yard waste drop-off or curbside leaf pickup.
Asphalt, brick & concrete
The ban targets construction and demolition debris. RecycleSmart MA says a few loose bricks can go in the trash, but larger amounts belong with construction debris at a processor or recycler.
Metal
Steel, iron, aluminum, copper, and other metals, from bed frames to old fencing. Take them to a scrap yard or your town’s scrap metal collection.
Wood
Treated and untreated wood is banned from landfills, and the rule is aimed at large amounts of construction wood. Big loads of lumber go to a construction debris processor. For small amounts, follow your town’s rules.
Clean drywall
Gypsum wallboard with no paint, wallpaper, joint compound, adhesive, or nails. Construction debris facilities have to pull it out of mixed loads for recycling.
Paper, cardboard & containers
Recyclable paper, cardboard, and paperboard, plus glass, metal, and plastic bottles, cans, jars, jugs, and tubs. These go in your curbside or drop-off recycling.
Commercial food waste
This one applies to businesses and institutions that throw out a half ton or more of food waste a week. It doesn’t apply to households.
The newest bans
Mattresses and textiles: what counts
Mattresses
The ban covers any mattress, foundation, or box spring, from crib size to California king. MassDEP confirms that full-foam, latex, and bed-in-a-box mattresses are included.
It does not cover futon mattresses, sofa beds, mattress pads and toppers, pillows, sleeping bags, water beds, or air mattresses without upholstery inside. Those follow your town’s normal trash or bulky waste rules.
For a covered mattress, start with your town. RecycleSmart MA counts more than 230 Massachusetts cities and towns with mattress collection programs, run as curbside pickup, drop-off, or collection events. In MassDEP’s 2025 municipal survey, most towns that reported a mattress program said they charge residents for it. If you’re buying a new mattress, MassDEP notes that most sellers will take the old one when they deliver.
Textiles
The textile ban covers clothing, footwear, bedding, towels, curtains, and fabric. Condition matters less than you’d think. MassDEP says worn, torn, and stained items still have value to textile recyclers, as long as they’re clean and dry. It estimates Massachusetts residents and businesses throw away about 230,000 tons of textiles a year.
Pillows, cushions, and rugs are not treated as textiles under the ban, so they can go in the trash, although some collectors accept pillows. Textiles contaminated with mold, bodily fluids, insects, oil, or hazardous substances, including used shop rags, are also outside the ban.
Quick reference
Banned or not: the short version
Use this as a starting point, then check your town’s rules for fees, stickers, and drop-off days.
| Material | Banned from trash? | Where it usually goes |
|---|---|---|
| Mattresses and box springs | Yes, since Nov. 1, 2022 | Town mattress program, retailer haul-away, or donation if like new |
| Futons, sofa beds, mattress pads, pillows | No | Town bulky waste or trash |
| Clothing, shoes, linens, towels, curtains | Yes, since Nov. 1, 2022 | Textile bins, thrift stores, town textile collection |
| Rugs and cushions | No | Town bulky waste or trash |
| Tube TVs and CRT monitors | Yes | Town electronics collection or electronics recycler |
| Flat-screen TVs and other electronics | Not on the ban list | Town electronics or bulky waste collection, or a retailer or manufacturer take-back program |
| Refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners | Yes | Town appliance collection, a scrap recycler after refrigerant recovery, or Mass Save pickup for a qualifying working fridge or freezer |
| Washers, dryers, stoves, dishwashers, water heaters | Yes | Town appliance or scrap metal collection, scrap yard, or dealer haul-away with a new purchase |
| Whole tires | Yes, at landfills | Tire shop when you buy new, or a town or private tire drop-off |
| Car batteries | Yes | Battery retailer, service station, scrap yard, or town collection |
| Leaves, grass, brush, garden waste | Yes | Home compost, town yard waste site, or curbside leaf pickup |
| Asphalt, brick, concrete | Yes | Construction debris processor or recycler; a few loose bricks can go in the trash |
| Scrap metal | Yes | Scrap yard or town scrap metal collection |
| Wood and lumber | Yes, at landfills | Construction debris processor for larger amounts; town rules for small amounts |
| Clean, unpainted drywall | Yes | Construction and demolition debris facility |
| Paper, cardboard, bottles, cans, jars, jugs, tubs | Yes | Curbside or drop-off recycling |
| Household hazardous products | Not a waste ban item, but keep out of the trash | Household hazardous waste collection or approved facility |
| Needles, syringes, lancets | Yes, since July 1, 2012 (state health rule) | Local sharps collection; ask your board of health |
Household hazardous waste
Chemicals, paint, batteries, and other hazardous products
Household hazardous products aren’t on the waste ban list, but MassDEP is clear that old chemicals, cleaners, paint, pesticides, and similar products don’t belong in the trash, the recycling bin, or down the drain. Store them safely until your town holds a household hazardous waste (HHW) collection, or bring them to a local, regional, or commercial collection facility.
Your town’s public works or board of health page lists collection days. MassDEP also keeps a list of approved HHW facilities, including private ones open to residents of any town. Call first for fees, hours, and accepted items.
- Oil-based paint, stains, thinners, and solvents: save them for an HHW collection.
- Pesticides, pool chemicals, gasoline, and antifreeze: HHW collection or a commercial hazardous waste facility.
- Used motor oil: stores that sell motor oil must take it back, up to two gallons per person per day, if you have the receipt.
- Fluorescent bulbs and tubes: they contain mercury, so use a mercury drop-off or HHW collection.
- Rechargeable and lithium batteries: never in the trash, since they can cause fires. Use a battery collection site or HHW collection.
- Propane tanks: keep them out of the trash. Many propane exchange retailers take back small steel tanks, and scrap yards may accept empty ones.
- Needles and lancets: banned from household trash since 2012. Ask your board of health about local collection, or use a mail-back sharps container.
- Suspected asbestos: leave it for a licensed asbestos abatement contractor.
A few things are easier than people expect. MassDEP says latex paint can go in the trash once it has dried out completely, hardened oil-based paint can too, and ordinary alkaline batteries can go in the trash.
Cleanouts
What this means for a basement, garage, or yard cleanout
Almost every cleanout turns up something on the ban list, so sorting is most of the work.
Basements tend to hold old mattresses, bags of clothes, tube TVs, and dehumidifiers. Garages hold tires, car batteries, scrap metal, and half-empty cans of paint and lawn chemicals. Yard cleanups produce brush, leaves, broken pavers, and old fencing. If you’re doing it yourself, sort as you go so each pile has one destination.
Pull out hazardous products first
Paint, chemicals, fuel, propane, and batteries go in their own box for an HHW collection.
Set aside anything reusable
Furniture, housewares, and building materials in good shape can be donated. RecycleSmart MA’s Beyond the Bin directory lists places that take them.
Separate the banned materials
Mattresses, textiles, electronics, appliances, tires, metal, and yard waste each have their own outlet, listed in the table above.
Handle what’s left as trash
Whatever remains goes out as regular trash or bulky waste under your town’s rules.
We’re a good fit when…
- The job is big enough for a dumpster, like a full basement, garage, or yard
- You’d rather not rent a dumpster, load it, or make the trips yourself
- The pile mixes furniture, metal, mattresses, electronics, and trash that all need different destinations
You may not need us when…
- You have one or two items your town’s bulky pickup or a retailer haul-away will take
- Everything is usable and a donation pickup can take it
- It’s mostly paint and chemicals, which belong at an HHW collection
When Clearday does a cleanout, we sort the load so banned items go where they’re supposed to. Usable items go to donation, metal to a scrap yard, electronics and mattresses to recyclers, and the rest to a licensed transfer station. Estimates are free, from photos or an in-person look.
Sources
Last checked September 16, 2026. State guidance and town programs change, so confirm fees, dates, and accepted items with your town or the facility before you go.
- MassDEP Waste Disposal Bans, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
- 310 CMR 19.000: Solid Waste Facility Regulations (waste bans at 19.017), MassDEP
- Fact Sheet: What are Massachusetts Waste Bans? (PDF), MassDEP
- Waste Ban on Mattresses and Textiles: Frequently Asked Questions (PDF), MassDEP
- Frequently Asked Questions About the Massachusetts Construction and Demolition Materials Waste Bans (PDF), MassDEP
- Mattress Recycling, MassDEP
- Clothing and Textile Recovery, MassDEP
- How & Where to Recycle, MassDEP
- Safely Manage Household Hazardous Products, MassDEP
- Guide to Safely Managing Hazardous Household Products (PDF), MassDEP
- Statewide ban on sharps in household trash, Massachusetts Department of Public Health
- 2025 Municipal Solid Waste & Recycling Survey Responses (spreadsheet), MassDEP
- Mattress Collection Programs, RecycleSmart MA
- Recyclopedia: Can I recycle it?, RecycleSmart MA
- Beyond the Bin Recycling Directory, RecycleSmart MA
- Stationary Refrigeration Safe Disposal Requirements, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Massachusetts Fridge and Freezer Recycle Rebates & Eligibility, Mass Save
- Bulky Item Disposal, City of Framingham
- Massachusetts City & Town Recycling Links, MassDEP
Questions
Questions people ask
Something else? Text us. You’ll get an answer from the person doing the job.
Can I get fined for putting a mattress in the trash in Massachusetts?
MassDEP says it generally doesn’t bring waste ban enforcement against individual residents. It typically acts against businesses, institutions, cities and towns, and waste haulers. Those are the ones held responsible, so your town or hauler can still refuse to take a mattress with the trash.
What if my mattress has bed bugs or mold?
Mattresses contaminated with insects, mold, bodily fluids, oil, or hazardous substances fall outside the ban, and mattress recyclers won’t accept them anyway. Ask your town or hauler how they want it handled. MassDEP also offers a Contaminated Mattress Certification Form that towns and recyclers can use to document it.
Is old wood furniture banned from the trash?
No. MassDEP’s construction and demolition FAQ says furniture such as tables, chairs, and desks isn’t included in the wood ban, which targets large amounts of construction wood. Your town may still treat big pieces as bulky waste with a fee.
Do I have to take the doors off an old fridge before putting it out?
Yes. Framingham’s public works department notes that Massachusetts law requires refrigerator and freezer doors to be removed before the appliance is placed outside for pickup. Your own town may add rules, like a sticker or a scheduled collection day.
How do I find my own town’s rules for these items?
MassDEP keeps a list of every city and town’s trash and recycling page. RecycleSmart’s Recyclopedia gives statewide advice only, so check your town’s page or call public works for fees and drop-off days.
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