Wakefield, MA: trash, recycling and bulky pickup guide 2026-27

Checked November 2026 · by JUNKRUN, Melrose MA

Wakefield · 2026-27

Republic Hauling collects weekly trash in town-issued blue carts for single-family homes and properties of four units or fewer; recycling is every other week (red and blue weeks).

Phones: DPW 781-246-6301 ext. 4120

What is coming up Get my flat price

Coming up in Wakefield

Dates the town has posted, soonest first. Each row drops off once its day has passed.

Date	What	Where	Source
Sat Nov 14, 2026, 8:30-4	Yard Waste Site open (weather permitting)	Nahant Street	wakefieldma.gov
Sat Nov 21, 2026	Last curbside leaf and yard waste pickup	Curb, out by 7 am	wakefieldma.gov
Sun Nov 22, 2026, 8:30-4	Yard Waste Site open	Nahant Street	wakefieldma.gov
Fri Nov 27, 2026, 7:30-2:30	Yard Waste Site bonus day	Nahant Street	wakefieldma.gov
Sat Nov 28, 2026, 8:30-4	Yard Waste Site open (weather permitting)	Nahant Street	wakefieldma.gov
Sat Dec 5, 2026, 8:30-4	Yard Waste Site open (weather permitting)	Nahant Street	wakefieldma.gov

Sat Nov 14, 2026, 8:30-4
Yard Waste Site open (weather permitting)
Nahant Street
wakefieldma.gov
Sat Nov 21, 2026
Last curbside leaf and yard waste pickup
Curb, out by 7 am
wakefieldma.gov
Sun Nov 22, 2026, 8:30-4
Yard Waste Site open
Nahant Street
wakefieldma.gov
Fri Nov 27, 2026, 7:30-2:30
Yard Waste Site bonus day
Nahant Street
wakefieldma.gov
Sat Nov 28, 2026, 8:30-4
Yard Waste Site open (weather permitting)
Nahant Street
wakefieldma.gov
Sat Dec 5, 2026, 8:30-4
Yard Waste Site open (weather permitting)
Nahant Street
wakefieldma.gov

Not posted yetCheck wakefieldma.gov.

Christmas tree pickup · look again late
Hazardous waste day · look again March 2027

At a glance

Trash day
Weekly trash in town blue carts for homes of 4 units or fewer; recycling every other week.
Bulky items
Couches, chairs and tables need a $20 sticker, two items a week. White goods and TVs one week a month, $20.
Drop-off
Nahant Street Yard Waste Site with a $25 resident permit. Scrap metal and cardboard need no permit.
Mattress
HandUp curbside, $60, 774-271-8744.

Wakefield specifics, with sources

Checked 2026-11-06. Dates pass: if one is behind you, the town has probably posted the next set, so use the link. Tap a topic to open it.

Topic	Fact	Source	Page date
Holiday delays: Holiday delay: one day	When trash collection falls on a holiday, pickup is delayed one day. Thanksgiving week 2026: Town Hall closes at noon Wed Nov 25, closed Fri Nov 27 with the Thursday route collected that day. Dec 24 trash runs as usual.	wakefieldma.gov	2026
Holiday delays: Bonus Nahant day after Thanksgiving	The Nahant Street site has a bonus day Friday Nov 27, 2026, 7:30 am to 2:30 pm.	wakefieldma.gov	2026
Bulky items: Bulky sticker rules	Stickers are $20 at Town Hall and Hart's Hardware, 442 Main St. Residents do not book ahead but are limited to two items per week on trash day. Sectional sofas need 2 stickers (2-4 pieces) or 3 (5-8 pieces); one sticker covers 3 rolls of carpet.	wakefieldma.gov	undated
Bulky items: White goods and TV pickup weeks	White goods (refrigerators, stoves, treadmills, dryers) and TVs/CRT monitors are picked up one week each month at $20 each with a sticker. Remove doors from appliances first.	wakefieldma.gov	2026
Bulky items: Mattress pickup through HandUp	Curbside mattress pickup is booked with HandUp (774-271-8744), $60 per mattress, no sticker, out by 7 am. Wakefield also partners with Simple Recycling (866-835-5068) for free curbside textiles.	wakefieldma.gov	undated
Bulky items: Four units or fewer only	Municipal pickup of bulky items, TVs and white goods is only for residences of four units or fewer. Construction materials are not accepted.	wakefieldma.gov	undated
Drop-off and permits: Yard waste site permit	Nahant Street Yard Waste Site permits are $25 per year, sold at the DPW office in Town Hall or online, with proof of Wakefield residency. No commercial vehicles or trucks over one-half ton; leaves in plastic bags must be emptied.	wakefieldma.gov	undated
Drop-off and permits: Free scrap metal and cardboard	Corrugated cardboard and scrap metal (pots, folding chairs, golf clubs, metal shelving, grills without propane) are accepted at Nahant Street when the site is open, free and with no permit. Appliances, air conditioners, tires, batteries and anything with oil, gas or Freon are not.	wakefieldma.gov	undated
Leaves and yard waste: Curbside leaf Saturdays	Curbside yard waste collection in 2026 is on Saturdays May 16, Nov 7 and Nov 21. Plastic bags are not collected.	wakefieldma.gov	2026
Leaves and yard waste: Branch rules	Cut branches to 3 ft or less and tie in bundles no more than 18 in across, curbside before 7 am.	wakefieldma.gov	undated
Also worth knowing: Overflow bags and second cart	Orange overflow bags are $10 for five at Town Hall, Harts Hardware, Farmland, Walgreens, Shaw's or online. A second blue cart rents for $150 a year.	wakefieldma.gov	undated
Also worth knowing: Mercury drop-off dates	Free mercury drop-off at the Nahant Street site in 2026: Apr 22, Jun 10, Aug 19 and Nov 4, 7:30 am to 2:30 pm.	wakefieldma.gov	2026

Holiday delays: Holiday delay: one day
Fact
When trash collection falls on a holiday, pickup is delayed one day. Thanksgiving week 2026: Town Hall closes at noon Wed Nov 25, closed Fri Nov 27 with the Thursday route collected that day. Dec 24 trash runs as usual.
Source
wakefieldma.gov
Page date
2026
Holiday delays: Bonus Nahant day after Thanksgiving
Fact
The Nahant Street site has a bonus day Friday Nov 27, 2026, 7:30 am to 2:30 pm.
Source
wakefieldma.gov
Page date
2026
Bulky items: Bulky sticker rules
Fact
Stickers are $20 at Town Hall and Hart's Hardware, 442 Main St. Residents do not book ahead but are limited to two items per week on trash day. Sectional sofas need 2 stickers (2-4 pieces) or 3 (5-8 pieces); one sticker covers 3 rolls of carpet.
Source
wakefieldma.gov
Page date
undated
Bulky items: White goods and TV pickup weeks
Fact
White goods (refrigerators, stoves, treadmills, dryers) and TVs/CRT monitors are picked up one week each month at $20 each with a sticker. Remove doors from appliances first.
Source
wakefieldma.gov
Page date
2026
Bulky items: Mattress pickup through HandUp
Fact
Curbside mattress pickup is booked with HandUp (774-271-8744), $60 per mattress, no sticker, out by 7 am. Wakefield also partners with Simple Recycling (866-835-5068) for free curbside textiles.
Source
wakefieldma.gov
Page date
undated
Bulky items: Four units or fewer only
Fact
Municipal pickup of bulky items, TVs and white goods is only for residences of four units or fewer. Construction materials are not accepted.
Source
wakefieldma.gov
Page date
undated
Drop-off and permits: Yard waste site permit
Fact
Nahant Street Yard Waste Site permits are $25 per year, sold at the DPW office in Town Hall or online, with proof of Wakefield residency. No commercial vehicles or trucks over one-half ton; leaves in plastic bags must be emptied.
Source
wakefieldma.gov
Page date
undated
Drop-off and permits: Free scrap metal and cardboard
Fact
Corrugated cardboard and scrap metal (pots, folding chairs, golf clubs, metal shelving, grills without propane) are accepted at Nahant Street when the site is open, free and with no permit. Appliances, air conditioners, tires, batteries and anything with oil, gas or Freon are not.
Source
wakefieldma.gov
Page date
undated
Leaves and yard waste: Curbside leaf Saturdays
Fact
Curbside yard waste collection in 2026 is on Saturdays May 16, Nov 7 and Nov 21. Plastic bags are not collected.
Source
wakefieldma.gov
Page date
2026
Leaves and yard waste: Branch rules
Fact
Cut branches to 3 ft or less and tie in bundles no more than 18 in across, curbside before 7 am.
Source
wakefieldma.gov
Page date
undated
Also worth knowing: Overflow bags and second cart
Fact
Orange overflow bags are $10 for five at Town Hall, Harts Hardware, Farmland, Walgreens, Shaw's or online. A second blue cart rents for $150 a year.
Source
wakefieldma.gov
Page date
undated
Also worth knowing: Mercury drop-off dates
Fact
Free mercury drop-off at the Nahant Street site in 2026: Apr 22, Jun 10, Aug 19 and Nov 4, 7:30 am to 2:30 pm.
Source
wakefieldma.gov
Page date
2026

Every service, in full

Tap a row for what the town publishes and its link. Every fact carries the town's own page and the date that page shows.

Leaf and yard wastePublished

Curbside leaf and yard waste pickup in 2026 is on Saturdays May 16, Nov 7 and Nov 21 (Nov 21 is the last). Out by 7 am in paper bags or barrels, no plastic; branches 3 ft or shorter, bundles under 18 in. The Nahant Street Yard Waste Site also takes leaves and brush with a $25 resident permit.

Source: wakefieldma.gov, wakefieldma.gov

Christmas tree pickupUsual pattern, check back

Wakefield runs a curbside live Christmas tree collection in the second half of January on your recycling day, announced by a town notice at the end of December. The notice from Dec 2025 listed Jan 12-24, 2026 (not re-fetched today). Lights, ornaments and stands off; no plastic wrap.

Source: wakefieldma.gov

Bulky itemsPublished

Bulky items such as couches, chairs and tables need a $20 sticker (Town Hall or Hart's Hardware, 442 Main St); no booking, limit two items per week on trash day. White goods and TVs/CRTs are picked up one week a month at $20 each with a sticker. Mattresses: HandUp curbside, $60, 774-271-8744. Only for homes of four units or fewer.

Source: wakefieldma.gov, wakefieldma.gov

Transfer station or drop-offPublished

Nahant Street Yard Waste Site, residents with a $25 annual permit (proof of residency). 2026 hours: Wednesdays 7:30-2:30 to Nov 25, 2026 (closed Nov 11); Saturdays 8:30-4 (Nov 14, Nov 28, Dec 5 weather permitting); Sundays 8:30-4 (Nov 8, Nov 22); bonus Friday Nov 27, 7:30-2:30. Scrap metal and corrugated cardboard drop-off needs no permit.

Source: wakefieldma.gov, wakefieldma.gov

Hazardous waste dayUsual pattern, check back

Wakefield and Reading co-host two hazardous waste days a year. 2026: Sat May 2, 9 am-1 pm at Reading Public Works, 75 New Crossing Rd, and Sat Oct 31, 8:30 am-12:30 pm at Wakefield High School, 60 Farm St. Both are past. Mercury drop-off at Nahant Street is free, no permit: Nov 4 was the last of 2026.

Source: wakefieldma.gov, wakefieldma.gov

Notes on 2027 dates, row by row

Leaf and yard waste: Town posts the next year's Public Works calendar by January. Expect a spring Saturday plus two fall Saturdays. Check back in March 2027.
Christmas tree pickup: Usual pattern: mid to late January, weather permitting. Check back in late December.
Bulky items: Fees have been stable; the 2027 calendar sets the white goods weeks. Check back in January.
Transfer station or drop-off: Seasonal, April to early December. 2027 dates post with the calendar. Check back in March 2027.
Hazardous waste day: Expect one spring day in Reading and one fall day in Wakefield. Check back in March 2027.

More for Wakefield

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