What are the most common causes for trash or recycling to be rejected for pickup?
The most common causes for rejection are packaging, placement, and contents. For a more complete description of the requirements, see General Guidelines. The short version is this: • All items must be at the curbside, accessible within a few steps for the driver. • Trash must be completely inside TIED Shutesbury trash bags — they cannot be left hooked open over the edges of barrels, have items protruding, etc. • Trash must not contain recyclables, hazardous materials, construction material, or items banned from the trash stream by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP). • Trash bags must weigh less than 35 pounds and be able to support the contents (cat litter is a good example of contents that may violate this guideline) • Recyclables must be in a solid container that the driver can dump and set back on the ground. Blue bins (available for $5 at Town Hall) are one option, but covered barrels, storage containers from department stores; or old laundry baskets
