All cardboard should be broken down and placed inside the 95-gallon recycling cart. Cardboard should not be placed next to the cart for collection. To help residents manage larger amounts of cardboard, the Town will pilot a cardboard recycling drop-off program in August. The cardboard drop-off will take place at the Department of Public Works (DPW) lot on the last Saturday of each month, at the same time as the Town’s existing metal recycling and Styrofoam recycling drop-off events.

METAL ITEM DROP-OFF: March – December on the last Saturday of the month (weather permitting) from 8am-12pm, DPW Yard, 200 Paradise Rd. Visit swampscottma.gov for a list of acceptable items. Note: Metals are recycled.

In partnership with Black Earth Compost, the Town offers three free drop-off locations for composting organic waste (food waste):

• by the dog park behind the cemetery
• next to the Police Station
• outside of the Senior Center

The Town of Swampscott has a free Boat Wrap Recycling program that runs from Mid April through June. Boat Wrap Recycling packs can be pick-up at Town Hall Customer Service and material can be returned to the DPW Yard by the end of June.

Bring household fluorescent bulbs (CFL and SHOP up to 4-feet long) to the 3rd floor collection area in Town Hall. Contact the Health Department at 781-596-8864 for bulbs longer than 4 feet.

The Town of Swampscott offers a Mattress Recycling Program to help residents comply with a recent MassDEP requirement. Residents can now purchase a $30 MATTRESS RECYCLING sticker at Town Hall Customer Service at 22 Monument Avenue, or online at https://epay.cityhallsystems.com/. When you purchase a sticker online, the sticker will be mailed to you. Mattresses will be picked up on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month and properly disposed of in recycling.

• Mattresses must be left out by the curb on your property and must not block the sidewalk
• Each mattress placed out must have its own mattress sticker
• Each box spring placed out must have its own sticker
• Please do not leave the mattress out more than 24 hours in advance of pick-up
• Mattress recycling stickers cannot be purchased from retailers - only online or at Town Hall
• Contact the Health Dept before purchasing a sticker if you know the mattress/box spring has bed bugs, as we need to handle them differently

Note:  Mattress recycling is not part of the Bulk Pick-Up program. Mattresses must be recycled through the City's mattress recycling program and cannot be disposed of as a bulk item. If you need to dispose of a sofa bed or futon, please schedule a Bulk Pick-Up by calling 781-289-0500. Sofa beds and futons are not considered mattresses and must be arranged separately through the Bulk Pick-Up program.

Bring household fluorescent bulbs (CFL and SHOP up to 4-feet long), rechargeable batteries (lighter than 2 lbs.), mercury switches, thermostats/thermometers to the 3rd floor collection area in Town Hall. Contact the Health Department at 781-596-8864 for bulbs longer than 4 feet.