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1. How do I purchase additional trash or recycling carts?

Residents have the option of purchasing additional recycling and/or trash carts.  Each additional cart purchased can be used in the exact same way as your primary city-issued carts.  They can be purchased in two ways:

• Purchase online using credit card or EFT.  Orders can take up to two weeks to fully process and carts will then be delivered to your home.
• Purchase in person by cash or check at the Malden DPW located at 356 Commercial St.  When purchasing in person, you must be able to take home whatever you purchase as we do not offer delivery for in-person purchases.

2. What can I put into my blue city-issued recycling cart?

Malden curbside recycling is single stream which means that both streams of materials (mixed paper/cardboard and bottles/cans/jugs/tubs) can now be mixed in one cart.

3. Where can I find a list of materials that are allowed in this new cart?

You can find a searchable database of how to get rid of just about any material on our Waste Wizard online database located at cityofmalden.org/waste

4. What if I have more recycling than will fit inside the new cart.

Our new 35 gallon recycle carts store the equivalent of the traditional two blue open-top bins. If you recycle more than that, you have two options:

Option 1: Purchase extra blue recycling cart(s) from the City of Malden. The price of the cart will be listed with our online system. They will always be priced at the City’s cost which means they are not marked up in price like you would pay at a store such as Lowes or Home Depot.

Option 2: Continue to use your existing barrels/carts/containers as long as they are able to contain mixed recycling with the contents below the top and properly contained under a lid. To make it easier for JRM to identify the barrel/cart/container you can get a free “Mixed Recycling” blue sticker from the DPW.

5. What if I already own overflow carts that I use for recycling?

Please continue to use overflow carts for excess recycling. As long as they are labeled and lidded, please continue to use them and now you can mix your recycling inside your overflow containers as well.

6. Why aren’t blue PAYT bags going away?

When we first proposed a plan for overhauling our PAYT system, we originally planned to get rid of blue PAYT bags all together. After extensive public meetings and community outreach, we received overwhelming feedback that many residents still wanted the option of being able to use blue PAYT bags to save money. Many residents use less than $75 worth of blue bags in a year and felt they did not want to be burdened with the additional fees, especially as a small producer of trash.

The result was the inclusion of the option to continue to use blue bags but with the improvement of having a secure cart to put them in to prevent litter and problems with wildlife.

7. How much trash can I put inside of a trash cart?

You are permitted to put up to 35 pounds of bagged household trash in a single black trash cart where the lid is able to be fully closed.

8. What can I put in a black trash cart each week?

Those who purchase a trash tag are permitted to put household trash properly bagged in standard plastic trash bags such as tall kitchen bags or other trash bags purchased at retail stores. Those who do not purchase an annual trash tag must put trash inside of a blue PAYT bag first before putting it in the black trash cart.

9. What if I can’t fit all of my trash inside my black trash cart?

Our trash carts are 35 gallons which is the equivalent of one blue PAYT trash bag. If you have more than this in a given week, you have two options for overflow trash.

Option 1: You may either buy a blue PAYT bag and place it in a covered trash barrel or cart labeled as “Trash” with a red sticker offered free at the DPW.

Option 2: You can purchase additional black PAYT carts from the City of Malden. The price of the cart will be listed with our online system. They will always be priced at the City’s cost which means they are not marked up in price like you would pay at a store such as Lowes or Home Depot.

Once additional carts are purchased, they have the same options as your primary cart; blue PAYT bags or the annual hang tag.

10. Can I pay an annual fee rather than having to purchase blue PAYT bags?

Yes. residents have the option of purchasing an annual trash tag for $75 per year. You can purchase them online or by visiting the City of Malden Treasurer’s Office at Malden City Hall.

11. What happens if my cart breaks?

You must contact Malden City Hall to report a damaged cart. After the process is completed and provided that replacement carts are available, the Malden DPW will arrange for drop off of the new cart as well as pickup of the damage cart. Residents must turn in the damaged cart to receive a new one.

12. What happens if my cart is stolen?

If your cart is stolen, you must contact the Malden Police Department to file a police report for stolen items. Once you have a copy of your police report, you may contact Malden City Hall to begin the process of ordering a new cart.

13. If I purchase a trash tag in the middle of a year, will I still be charged full price?

No. Trash tags will be appropriately pro-rated depending on when they are purchased. Tags will renew each calendar year.

14. How do I know the difference between my cart and my neighbor’s cart?

City of Malden Trash and Recycling carts are have serial numbers and embedded RFID tags. When a primary set of carts is issued to a household or if residents purchase additional carts, they are associated with that specific household in our database. There is also a white space on the lid which will include the address or unit number written in.