Recycling & Trash

In Bolton Hill, household trash collection is on Wednesday mornings. Household recycling collection is on biweekly Friday mornings. See the BHCA calendar for the next recycling date and here for more information about recycling collection in Baltimore.

In the event that a trash or recycling collection day falls on a federal holiday, collection is usually the upcoming Saturday. Set out trash and recycling collection bins no earlier than the prior evening and take them back in after disposal. Residents and rental property owners who live outside the neighborhood should be knowledgeable of Baltimore City expectations for properly handling trash and recycling. Details are below.

Household Recycling

Baltimore has a single stream, curbside recycling program. Single-stream recycling allows all recyclable materials to be mixed together for pick-up. Cleaned plastic containers, glass jars and bottles, tin, steel, and aluminum cans, mixed paper, magazines, junk mail, and cardboard are all collected together. Residents may mix all of these materials together in one open recycling bin, container, cardboard box, or paper bag. For more information about single stream recycling and proper disposal of various items in Baltimore, click here. Even though single-stream makes recycling convenient, there are a few best practices to keep in mind:

  • DO NOT place plastic bags or plastic wrap in recycling bins.  All recycling content should sit loosely in a recycling bin without a plastic bag around it.  Plastic bags and wrap gum up the conveyor belts used for sorting materials at recycling centers, so reuse or recycle plastic grocery bags at bins at grocery stores and throw plastic wrap in the trash.
  • Clean out all containers before recycling.  If it has food scraps that can’t be cleaned up, it should go in the trash.
  • When in doubt, throw it in the trash.  It adds another step to the process when a recycling center has to remove trash and then send it to a landfill.

Food scrap drop-off locations in Baltimore are here. More information about recycling and donating unwanted items in Maryland is available here.

Household Trash

Garbage should be bagged and placed in City-issued trash cans and set out no earlier than the night before pick-up. Your trash can belongs to your street address. Do NOT set out plastic bags, which can attract rats. If you need a replacement trash can, submit a 311 request. Please also note that household trash should not be placed in the black trash bins around the neighborhood because they can easily be overfilled.

City-issued trash cans hold a maximum of 96 gallons of trash. Properties that produce more than 96 gallons of trash per week must arrange a commercial trash collection service.

Bulk Trash

Midtown Community Benefits District provides bulk trash pick-up, subject to certain restrictions. Building and construction materials CANNOT be picked up as bulk trash. Every year, Midtown allows each property within the district to request one full truck load of bulk trash removed all at once or broken into smaller pick-ups.

In the case of illegal dumping, submit a 311 request to report it and email Midtown with the service request number. Midtown then coordinates with the City to inspect and dispose of the illegal dump.

Drop-Off Recycling and Trash

When you have an abundance of glass, paper, and plastic recyclables or miss the pick-up day, you may take them to one of various citizens’ convenience drop-off centers. You may also drop off unwanted electronics and appliances such as refrigerators, stoves, and air conditioners as well as used clothing to be recycled. The location closest to Bolton Hill is the Sisson Street Drop-Off Center located at 2840 Sisson Street (410-396-7250) and open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. in the spring, fall, and winter and until 7 p.m. in the summer.

Hazardous Materials

On the first Friday and Saturday of the month between April and October, household hazardous waste is collected at the Sisson Street Drop-Off Center. Household hazardous waste includes used paint, automotive fluids, pesticides, cleaning solvents, fire extinguishers, propane tanks, batteries, and fluorescent light bulbs.

Drug paraphernalia or sharps encountered in public spaces in Bolton Hill can all be collected by ambassadors with the Midtown Community Benefits District. Take a photo and submit a request for service through Midtown’s website portal for Midtown to respond to remove the items.

Complaints and Violations

Residents are encouraged to work together to ensure streets, sidewalks, and alleys are kept clean, including proper disposal of trash and recycling. Rental property owners: it is your responsibility to ensure renters are compliant with Baltimore City expectations for properly handling trash and recycling and your responsibility for keeping your property tidy. Complaints can be submitted to 311.

Rat Control

Rat populations in older cities like Baltimore have been established for hundreds of years, and they will gladly reside in Bolton Hill if we don’t make our neighborhood as inhospitable as we can for them. The best way to deter rats is to ensure that they do not have sources of food by using city-approved trash cans and keeping their lids closed. For more City resources on rat eradication, click here.