Bedford’s Spring 2025 curbside yard waste takes place the week of April 28th. 

The Town’s contractor begins the curbside yard waste route on trash day, with one truck, and continues for several days until complete. Collection timing may vary based on the volume of material set out at the curbside. 

Residents should place all yard waste curbside in tall paper bags or open, tall barrels clearly marked “yard waste” without lids by Sunday evening. Avoid using low containers, such as old gray recycling bins, as these are difficult for the driver to identify. 

Acceptable yard waste includes:

• Leaf litter, pine needles & yard trimmings
• Weed and tree material (up to 1" diameter)

Yard waste in plastic bags will be left behind. Collected material is brought to the Bedford Recycling Center (BRC) for composting. Please NO stones, trash, or other non-compostable debris. The contamination-free material is essential to creating a quality finished soil product. 

Large tree material, including brush and tree limbs, is not accepted at the curbside and should instead be brought directly the BRC, located at 108 Carlisle Rd. The site is open on Wednesdays (8 AM to 1 PM) and Saturdays (8 AM to 1 PM). Learn more on the Town website.

Close the loop on your yard waste efforts - Finished compost, created from the collected yard waste, is available to residents for free near the entrance to the BRC. Wood chips are also offered, when available. Bring your own bucket! Material is generated on site from collected yard waste and is not tested for quality or contaminants. 

Bedford’s Stormwater team wishes to remind residents that Bedford’s drains are just for rain! The storm drains in the street bring untreated water directly to our rivers and streams.

Help protect our watershed with these helpful tips:

• Remove leaves and grass clippings from pavement and clear leaves from storm drains to prevent flooding.
• Consider mulching leaves in place with your lawnmower to put valuable nutrients back into the soil.
• Gather leaves and other yard waste into a compost pile, let overwinter and decompose and then use as fertilizer next growing season.
• Bag leaves for collection or bring them to the BRC. 
• Reminder: Yard waste should not be placed in or adjacent to any wetlands.

Learn more about Bedford’s Stormwater Management Program at www.bedfordma.gov/dpw/stormwater or email: StormWater@bedfordma.gov