Bedford Recycling Center (BRC)

The BRC has expanded its services over the past couple of years, now accepting more materials than ever before. The Town also generates from a small amount revenue from the collection of textiles, scrap metal and clean glass, which helps offset the costs of running the site and keeps access free for Town residents.

What You Can Drop Off at the BRC

The site accepts the following materials:

• Yard Waste & Brush: Yard trimmings, leaves, and grass clippings; brush, logs and natural Christmas trees. 
• Cardboard: Clean, dry corrugated cardboard boxes (brown cardboard shipping boxes); Cut the tape and flatten boxes and remove all packing materials, including paper stuffing, bubble wrap and Styrofoam. NO paperboard (like a cereal box) - use your curbside recycling cart for paperboard. 
• Glass Bottles & Jars: Through a partnership with 2M Ressources, glass bottles and jars dropped off at the BRC are recycled into fiberglass, generating $15 per ton for the Town. This is more cost-effective than curbside collection, which costs the Town $70-100 per ton. To ensure the glass can be processed, only clean bottles and jars are accepted—no ceramics, Pyrex, decorative glass, or non-glass items like metal lids or plastic caps
• Food Waste: Uneaten food will be broken down via anerobic digestion by our partners at DRU and Vanguard Renewables, creating fertilizer for local farms and renewable energy. 
• Clothing & Textiles: The BRC accepts unwanted clothing, shoes, and other fabric-based materials including stuffed animals, pillows and cushions. 
• Bulky Rigid Plastics: Oversized/large plastic items such as storage containers, bins, and furniture items made from plastic or large kids playhouses. We cannot accept anything flexible (no hoses, tarps or inflatables) or PVC products. See flyer for complete details. Please no mixed material items, such as small kids toys - donate toys curbside with CMRK or throw in the trash. 
• Scrap Metal: An ever-popular material category, the BRC accepts items that are primarily metal, including bicycles, bed frames, grills, treadmills, fence posts, pot & pans, toasters, microwaves and the like. Small engine items such as lawn mowers and snowblowers are also accepted once the oil and gas have been drained. No full-size appliances or propane tanks. 
• Batteries, Bulbs & Mercury-containing Items: The Universal Waste Shed helps keep toxic compounds out of our environment, specifically mercury and PCBs. Residents can drop off the following:
  • fluorescent bulbs (all sizes); 
  • mercury-containing devices such as old thermostats, thermometers, blood pressure cuffs and barometers;
  • lighting ballasts (PCB and non-PCB); 
  • rechargeable batteries (all chemistries) and single use Lithium batteries (up to 11LBS per battery); Return larger batteries to the retailer where you purchased it or bring to Household Hazardous Waste Day. 
  • ionization smoke detectors.
• Styrofoam: Beginning in April 2025, the DPW will accept large pieces of solid, white packaging bracing (EPS #6) as part of our permanent offerings. Material should snap when you bend it and must be free from dirt, stickers and tape. We cannot accept meat trays, packing peanuts, coffee cups or other types of expanded foam as these are not accepted by our recycling end-site.
• Electronics, Propane Tanks/Fire Extinguishers & Tires: These categories can be dropped off at least once per month, free of charge, by appointment. Visit the Special Collection Events page to sign up for a drop-off window. 

What Not to Drop Off

While the BRC accepts a wide range of materials, there are still some things you should not bring to the facility:

• Mixed Material Items: If you cannot separate the materials, DPW cannot accept it. Please break items down, for example, remove a metal shovel head from a plastic handle, before you arrive.
• Household Trash: The BRC does not accept trash. If you seem to dispose of excess trash on a regular basis, use official Town of Bedford overflow trash bags available for sale at Moison’s ACE Hardware, Stop & Shop and Whole Foods. Additional trash carts are also available for an annual fee by completing the application for a second trash cart. 
• Hazardous Waste: Paint, solvents, motor oil, pesticides, and other hazardous materials need to be disposed as Household Hazardous Waste. More details can be found on the Town website.
• Lumber, Wood Waste or Pallets: The BRC does not accept scrap wood or pallets. Reach out to a private junk removal company or use a dumpster bag to properly dispose of this material.