| Overview:
 The
Town of Billerica currently contracts out trash and recycling
collection to Allied Waste. Trash and recycling are collected
weekly on Monday (or Tuesday following Monday holidays) throughout
the Town of Billerica. The trash and recycling program is managed
by the Department of Public Works Administration Office.
Trash:
Trash is collected through the use of automated collection trucks
and 64-gallon town-supplied trash carts. Residents should place
their bagged trash into their carts and place the carts curbside by
7:00 AM on trash day (no earlier than 5:00 PM on the day before
trash day). The cart must be 3' (three feet) away from any obstacles
(trees, mailboxes, fences, other carts, recycle bins, etc.), the
handle and wheels of the cart must face away from the street, and
the cart lid must be closed. Any material that does not fit in the
trash cart with the lid closed must be placed in an Official
Billerica Overflow Bag. See
Automated Trash Checklist for more
information.
Recycling:
Recycling
is collected through a "dual-stream" recycling system.
Newspaper, magazines, catalogs, junk mail, mixed paper, and
small pieces of cardboard are placed in one bin, and plastic, glass,
and metal bottles and cans are
placed in a separate bin or in a barrel marked for recycling.
Please do not place recyclables in plastic bags. Large cardboard must be
flattened, cut no larger than 30 inches by 30 inches,
and bundled (tied or taped) not more than 8" thick. All
recyclable material must be free of food, grease, and dirt. Pizza
boxes are not collected due to the possibility of contamination.
Packing material including plastic shrink wrap and Styrofoam are not
recyclable. Recycling is mandatory in Billerica. For more
information on what is and what is not recyclable, please see page
8 of the
Residential Recycling and Trash Collection Guide.
Monthly Recycling Award:
Nominate a Billerica resident or household deserving of recognition
for exceptional recycling efforts. Nomination forms should be
submitted to the Department of Public Works at the Administration
Office in the Town Hall, Room G11. Winners will be selected by the
Director of Public Works and prizes will be
awarded by the Board of Selectmen. For more information,
including contest guidelines, nomination form, and awards schedule,
click here.
Bulk Items:
For bulky items too large to fit in a trash cart, residents must
call Allied Waste in advance to schedule a pick up. Call
1-800-442-9006 by Friday at 3:00 PM for pick up on the following
trash day. Couches, tables, chairs, mattresses, and box springs are
considered bulky items; other items that do not fit in the cart may
also be considered bulky waste. Allied Waste reserves the right to
limit the amount and type of items picked up as bulky waste.
White Goods, Appliances, and TV/Computer Monitors:
Appliance Recyclers will pick up white goods, appliances, and
TV/computer monitors, as well as other large metal items and car
tires. Residents must call 1-877-228-2898 or see
www.applrecyl.com to schedule
and pay for disposal of their item(s). Please see
Appliance, CRT,
and Tire Collection Program for fees and more information.
Yard Was te:
Yard waste (leaves, grass clippings, small sticks, etc.) is
collected during 5-week periods in the Spring and Fall. The next
collection period is April 26-May 28, 2010. Yard waste
is collected on a 5-days-per-week schedule, based on the former
trash collection schedule. Please see
Yard Waste Collection Zones
for a map showing yard-waste collection days. Yard waste can be
placed in biodegradable paper yard-waste bags, or trash barrels that
are clearly labeled for yard waste. Stickers are available at the DPW Administration Office (Room G-11) in the Town Hall. Yard waste
in PLASTIC BAGS will not be collected.
Damaged Trash Carts:
If your new automated-trash-collection cart becomes damaged through
normal use, please call Allied Waste at 1-800-442-9006 to report the
damage and schedule a repair of the cart. If Allied Waste determines
that the cart cannot be repaired, it will be replaced with a working
cart.
Missed Trash or Recycle Pickups:
If your trash or recycling is not picked up on trash day, please
contact Allied Waste at 1-800-442-9006 or the Town of Billerica at
978-436-9178 before 3:00 PM on Tuesday for a Wednesday missed-pickup
collection. If material was not placed out by 7:00 AM, or was not
correctly prepared, residents must hold onto the material until the
next normally scheduled trash-collection day.
Official Overflow Bags:
 Official
Billerica Overflow Bags are available for purchase at the customer
service desks at O'Connor Hardware and all three Billerica Market
Basket locations. Overflow bags are sold in rolls of 5 bags for
$10.00 (to cover additional labor and disposal costs). Official
Billerica Overflow Bags are the only bags that will be picked up
outside the trash cart. Remember, there is no limit to how
much recycling you can put out for free collection. The more you
recycle, the more room you have in your cart for trash!
Additional Trash Carts:
If you wish to obtain an additional trash cart, the fee for your
first year will be $165, to cover the cost of the second cart and
additional disposal costs. The fee will be $100 annually thereafter
to cover the additional disposal costs. Payment must be received
prior to delivery. Contact the DPW at 978-436-9178 to make
arrangements for a second cart. Applications are available at the
DPW Administration Office, or see
Application for
Automated Trash Cart.
Household Hazardous Waste:
Household Hazardous Waste Day is scheduled every year on the third
Saturday in October at the Department of Public Works yard located
at 250 Boston Road. The collection center will be open from 9:00 AM
to 1:00 PM. Please refer to page 5 of the
Recycling and Trash
Collection Guide for a list of acceptable and unacceptable HHW.
Winter
Trash Collection and Recycling:
 When there is snow on the ground, residents should take
special care to ensure that trash carts are accessible to the arm of
the automated trash trucks, with a three-foot (3') clearance around
the cart to all obstacles, such as tall snow banks, recycle bins,
overflow bags, mailboxes, trees, and parked cars. Please avoid
placing trash carts or recycling in the plowed roadway by clearing a
small area just off the edge of the road for trash and recycling
containers. If possible, please continue to place recycling on the
opposite side of the driveway or walkway from the trash cart and
make certain that it is clearly visible from the road (not blocked
by snow banks).
In the event of an active snowstorm on trash day, please be aware
that trash or recycling containers that are placed too close to the
edge of the road may be tipped over during plowing, especially with
wet heavy snow or slush. Trash collection may be delayed due to
inclement weather on trash day but will continue until completed. In
the event that trash collection must be postponed due to weather
conditions, a notice will be placed on our What's New page and BATV
with information on when collection will resume.
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