Shrewsbury Trash Schedule: Everything You Need to Know

Living in Shrewsbury? Unsure about your trash and recycling pickup days? You’ve come to the right place! This comprehensive guide will provide all the details on Shrewsbury’s waste and recycling collection services.

Overview of Shrewsbury’s Trash and Recycling Program

Shrewsbury utilizes a Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) system for trash disposal. This means residents purchase specially designated bags for their general household waste. Recycling and yard waste are collected weekly at no additional cost.

Some key points about Shrewsbury’s program:

• Trash is collected once per week on your designated day
• Recycling is collected every other week on your designated day
• Yard waste is collected weekly from April to November
• Bulky items are collected by appointment only

Adhering to this schedule helps keep costs low while encouraging recycling. It also reduces truck traffic on town streets.

Trash and Recycling Collection Days

Trash and recycling pickup occurs once weekly on your assigned day between 7 AM and 3 PM. Use the map below to find your designated collection day:

Collection days are as follows:

• Monday: Areas north of Route 20, including Colonial Drive and Home Farm Road
• Tuesday: Areas west of Lake Street including Birkdale Road, South Flint Road, Hickory Drive, and Whitehall Road
• Wednesday: Areas east of Lake Street including Bealand Street, Harrington Avenue, Julio Drive, and Bullard Avenue
• Thursday: Areas south of Route 20 including South Quinsigamond Avenue, Hartford Turnpike, and Shrewsbury Green Drive
• Friday: Municipal and school buildings only

Your collection day remains the same year-round. If your pickup falls on a holiday, collection is delayed by one day for the remainder of the week.

View the official collection calendar for specifics on holiday delays and recycling weeks.

Trash Collection and PAYT Bags

Regular household waste must be placed in special PAYT trash bags for collection. These bags can be purchased at various local retailers including grocery stores, pharmacies, convenience stores, and hardware shops.

Bags are sold in two sizes:

• Small (15 gallon) – $1.50 per bag
• Large (33 gallon) – $2.50 per bag

All PAYT bags feature a yellow drawstring top and display the Shrewsbury logo. Trash in non-approved bags or overflowing bags will not be collected.

PAYT bags should be placed curbside by 7 AM on your pickup day but no earlier than 5 PM the evening before. Trash should be accessible to collectors and not blocked by vehicles.

Bag limits per week:

• 10 small bags
• 6 large bags
• Or a mixture of both not exceeding 10 small bag equivalents

Recycling Collection

Recycling is collected curbside every other week on your trash day. Shrewsbury uses a dual stream system with paper and containers collected separately.

Paper Products (Week 1)

• Newspapers and inserts
• Magazines and catalogs
• Junk mail and envelopes
• Paper bags
• Office paper, shredded paper
• Phone books
• Paperboard (cereal boxes, pasta boxes)
• Corrugated cardboard and pizza boxes

Containers (Week 2)

• Glass bottles and jars
• Aluminum cans, clean foil, trays
• Empty aerosol cans
• Plastic bottles, jugs, tubs (no caps or lids)
• Juice boxes, milk and juice cartons
• Steel and tin cans

View the recycling calendar to determine if paper or containers are collected on your pickup day.

Recycling must be placed loose in bins or paper bags (no plastic bags). Cardboard boxes should be flattened and bundled or placed inside a bin.

Set all materials at the curb by 7 AM on your collection day separated as follows:

• Paper products together
• Containers together

Yard Waste Collection

From April to November, yard waste is collected curbside on your trash day. Materials must be contained in biodegradable bags, rigid containers labeled “yard waste”, or tied bundles (branches under 4 feet long).

Acceptable yard waste:

• Leaves and grass clippings
• Brush and branches
• Weeds and garden plants

Shrewsbury also offers seasonal yard waste drop-off at the composting facility on Wednesdays and Saturdays from April to November. Proof of residency is required.

Yard waste collection stops from December through March. Woody debris like branches and brush under 1 inch diameter and 4 feet length can be bundled and set out with trash during this time.

Bulky Items and Other Disposal

Residents can schedule pickup of bulky items like furniture and appliances for a $25 fee per item. Collection occurs on the 2nd and 4th Friday mornings of each month. Items containing Freon require a special pickup for an additional $20 fee.

Hazardous waste like chemicals, oil, batteries, and more can be dropped off on scheduled municipal household hazardous waste collection days.

Visit Shrewsbury’s additional disposal resources page for guidance on electronics, textiles, tires, propane tanks, and other miscellaneous waste.

Holiday Delays and Service Changes

Trash and recycling collection is delayed by one day after the following holidays:

• New Year’s Day
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day

On weeks with multiple holidays like Christmas and New Year’s, Wednesday through Friday customers are serviced on Saturday.

Inclement weather may also result in pickup delays. Visit the collection calendar for updates.

Missed Pickups and Contamination

If your trash or recycling is not collected, leave materials at the curb and report the missed pickup right away. Crews will return as soon as possible.

Repeated contamination of recycling with trash may result in recycling collection being suspended. Excess trash outside of PAYT bags, hazardous materials, and overstuffed bins are also considered contamination.

Changes to Service

To start, stop, or modify waste collection services, complete the online request form or call the Department of Public Works at least 2 weeks in advance.

This includes going on vacation hold, permanently canceling service, or swapping bin sizes.

Contact Information

Contact the Department of Public Works with any questions:

Trash and Recycling:

• Phone: 800-972-4545
• Email: [email protected]

Yard Waste Pickup:

• Phone: 508-869-4077
• Email: [email protected]

General Inquiries:

• Phone: 508-841-8502
• Email: [email protected]

By following Shrewsbury’s waste collection schedule and guidelines, we can work together to keep our town clean, safe, and environmentally-friendly! Proper sorting and disposal ensures costs are kept low while reducing truck traffic and environmental impact.