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Boston, MA     Bags  |  What to Recycle?  |  Program Background  |  FAQs

WHERE DO I BUY THE RECYCLING BAGS?

The following neighborhoods are being served by the recycling bag program:

  • Back Bay/Bay Village

  • Beacon Hill

  • Charlestown

  • Chinatown

  • Downtown

  • East Boston

  • Fenway

  • Mission Hill

  • North End

  • Roxbury

  • South Boston

  • South End

  • West End

Neighborhood
Retailer
Street Address
Back Bay
Marlboro Market
45 Massachusetts Ave
Back Bay
Shaw's Supermarket
53 Huntington Ave
Beacon Hill
Beacon Hill Market
55 Anderson Street
Beacon Hill
DeLuca's Market
11 Charles Street
Beacon Hill
Rite Aid
100 Cambridge Street
Beacon Hill
Roche Brothers
10 Summer Street
Beacon Hill
Tedeschi Food Shops
126 Cambridge Street
Beacon Hill
Whole Foods
181 Cambridge Street
Charleston
7-Eleven
140 Main Street
Charleston
777 Convenient Store
269 Main Street
Charlestown
Charlestown Ace Hardware
5 Austin Street
Charlestown
Whole Foods
50 Austin Street
East Boston
Walgreen’s
1 Central Square
East Boston
Shaw's Supermarket
246 Border Street
Mission Hill
Boston Building Resources
100 Terrace Street
North End
Green Cross Pharmacy
393 Hanover Street
South Boston
Rite Aid
710 East Broadway
South Boston
Stop and Shop
713 East Broadway
South End
Foodies Boston
1421 Washington Street
South End
South End Food Emporium
465 Columbus Ave
South End
Walgreens
1603 Washington Street
Symphony Area
Economy True Value Hardware
219 Massachusetts Ave
Symphony Area
Whole Foods Symphony
15 Westland Ave
West End
Whole Foods
181 Cambridge Street
Back Bay
Deluca's Market
239 Newbury Street

What if my local retailer doesn’t carry the bags?

If you can’t find the official City of Boston clear plastic recycling bags at a store near you, feel free to contact us in one of three ways:

​Please report any bag quality issues to WasteZero at 1-800-866-3954.

​

Boston Recycling bags are manufactured and distributed by WasteZero.  WasteZero partners with communities to reduce waste and increase recycling.

You can put all of your recycling in the clear recycling bag. Here are lists of whats acceptable and what is not.

 

PLEASE RECYCLE:

 

Recycling

Plastic Bottles, Jars, Jugs, & Tubs

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  • Plastic Bottles and Containers (clean & empty containers with lids and caps ON)

  • Plastic Soda, Water & Drink Bottles

  • Plastic Food & Household Bottles/Jars
    (screw top bottles and jars, ex. ketchup, mayonnaise, detergent, shampoo)

  • Plastic Tubs & Lids
    (ex. yogurt, margarine, cottage cheese)

  • Plastic Produce, Deli & Bakery Containers, Cups, Trays
    (berries/produce containers)

  • Rigid plastics (laundry baskets, buckets, toys)

Please do not include:

  • No plastic bags or plastic utensils. Bring plastic bags back to the grocery store.

​

  • No black plastic take-out containers

 

  • No Polystyrene (Styrofoam)

​

  • No containers that contained hazardous waste

Glass Bottles & Jars

10_General_Glass_72ppi_edited.jpg

  • Glass bottles and jars (empty containers with caps OFF)

​

  • All glass colors

 

Please do not include:

  • No windows, mirrors, or auto glass

 

  • No light bulbs (fluorescent bulbs should be disposed of properly)

​

  • No dishes, ceramics, or Pyrex

​​

Metal Cans & Aluminum

19-Tin_or_Steel_Cans_72ppi.jpg

  • Metal cans and Aluminum (empty containers)

​

  • Steel, tin, and aluminum cans

 

  • Clean aluminum pie plates, trays, and foil

Please do not include:

  • No chains, wires or hangers

​​

Paper & Cardboard

paper and cardboard.png

  • Magazines & Catalogs

  • All newspapers & inserts

  • Paperboard (cereal boxes, paper towel rolls, etc.) & paper bags

  • Cardboard – please flatten

  • Pizza boxes - remove food and greasy sections

  • Office paper, Junk mail (Staples, paperclips, spirals, & plastic envelope windows are OK)

  • Soft cover books

  • Phone books

Please do not include:

  • No recyclables with food waste

 

  • No napkins, paper towels, tissues

​

  • No waxed-, foil-, or plastic-coated paper

​

RecycleSMART-flyer.png

Wondering if something is recyclable?  See the City of Boston A-Z directory

​

Why is recycling important?

Recycling benefits Boston both economically and environmentally.

Economically

For every ton of bottles, cans, and plastic containers that residents recycle (rather than throw away in the trash), the City saves $80. That means that a 1% change in the City’s recycling rate would save more than $200,000 each year.

Your efforts in the Recycle More program help the City reduce its costs, preserve services, and make important investments in our neighborhoods.

Environmentally

Recycling helps conserve the planet’s natural resources, including oil, water, trees, air, and minerals.

More Information

For more information, please contact the City of Boston Department of Public Works.

CONTACT >

Department of Public Works

1 City Hall Square, Room 714

Boston, MA 02201

617-635-7573

​

City Hall hotline: 617-635-4500

​

PUBLICWORKS@BOSTON.GOV

​

https://www.boston.gov/departments/public-works/recycling-boston

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