Yes, Throwing These Items Away Is Illegal In Massachusetts

There are two types of people in the world. There's the folks who really have trouble parting with things and there's the folks who love to throw things away. I'm absolutely the latter. I really enjoy minimalism, although I'm not a purist. 😁

I had some old carpet that was cut up into pieces that I needed to dispose of for my mother, and I was wondering about that. In bulk, carpet may be refused by your local trash company, but other than that, it's fair game. Carpet padding can be recycled, however.

I know it can be annoying, but there are rules for discarding waste and rightfully so. Most of the time, it's because of reasons concerning the environment. The following list of items cannot be "thrown away" in Massachusetts.

 It's Illegal To Throw These Things Away In Massachusetts

• Asphalt, brick, and concrete.

• Tires.

• Leaves, yard waste.

• Glass and metal containers.

• Mattresses.

• Textiles.

• Recyclable paper.

• Paint (not solid).

As far as paint goes, they sell paint hardener at any local hardware store. It's super cheap as well, just pour it in and let it dry!

For the rest of the banned items in Massachusetts, go here.

Since the first waste bans were introduced, Massachusetts municipalities and businesses - often supported by MassDEP grants and technical assistance - have developed new infrastructure to collect banned items and other discarded materials, and to divert them from disposal to reuse and recycling.