City carts can go missing for a number of reasons, but the most common reason is that it was accidentally brought somewhere else in the neighborhood. If your trash or recycling cart goes missing from your address, please report this as soon as possible to our office at 978-674-4309. We will provide you with the serial numbers (every cart has a serial number in white lettering) to help you find the cart that belongs to you, and ask that you look around the neighborhood for the missing cart. This is easiest done on your trash day, when all carts are out on the street.
If you are not able to find the missing cart, we will need the legal owner to fill out a form indicating that the cart is stolen or missing and needs to be replaced. Please note that there is a $75 replacement fee per cart, which covers the costs of the cart itself. We are not able to subsidize the cost of the cart at this time.
Please fill out the form remotely and return it to us either via drop off at the DPW or regular mail. The form you will need to fill out is below, labelled "Affidavit".
If you find your stolen missing receptacle is being used by another address, this is considered unlawful disposal of waste (see Ch. 270-7 part B) and would result in a fine of $200 being issued to the address in question. Please report this issue to our office and we will handle it accordingly, as well as return your cart to your address.