Textiles Disposal

Effective Tuesday, November 1, 2022, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has ban all textiles items and recycling from trash in the Town of Lexington.

The Town has entered into an agreement with CMRK, in partnership with the Big Brothers Big Sisters Foundation, to service the Town for all textile recycling and recovery and will ensure that every item collected is repurposed with the goal of giving back.  You can schedule a home pickup via email or text.

Schedule General Pickup

  • CMRK pickups@cmrkne.com
  • To schedule pickup via text please text the word PICKUP to: (508) 466-4590

How to Prepare for a Home Pickuphttps://global-uploads.webflow.com/60c9568282dffeaed18cdb85/60c96face8b535c20fd6ac97_coverimage_v2.jpg

To schedule a home pickup of your items, use referenced image (to the right) and the guidelines below for how your items should be prepared. Please respect the drivers by taking the time to properly prepare for a home pickup to ensure the highest quality service.

Packing Guidelines

  • All bags/boxes should be sealed with NO tears or rips which may cause the box/bag to fall apart. CMRK is NOT a trash service.
  • All bags/boxes must be neatly sealed/tied, and placed in an area visible from the street on the scheduled day of pickup. There is no limit of bags you can donate. CMRK drivers will not come to the door as to respect your privacy

How do I pack my items?

  • Clothing and shoes: plastic garbage bags labeled CMRK/BBBS (Avoid using boxes when possible)
  • Dishes and breakable items: properly wrapped and packed in boxes as if you were moving (30 lbs each)
  • Small miscellaneous household items: packed in a labeled and sealed box marked CMRK/BBBS

*If there is bad weather please place items in a plastic garbage bag, tie and label, and turn the bad upside down.

Where do I put my donation(s)?

  • For the well being of our drivers please leave your donations visibly labeled on the premises of your home/ business. Our drivers will not venture into homes, garages, backyards, and side yards.

Will the driver come inside to pick up my donation(s)?

  • No, our drivers are not permitted to enter homes. We ask that you have your items bagged or boxed and labeled CMRK/BBBS. They should then be left curbside by 7 am for the driver to pick up.  We collect from 7 am to 5pm daily.

What time will my items be picked up?

  • Your donation will be picked up sometime between 7:00 am until dusk.  Please place your donations outside by 7:00 am, as you may be our first stop.
  • Since our drivers stop at more than 100 houses per day, we cannot tell you the specific time when we will pick up your donation. 
  • However, we do offer live eta arrival that you can sign up and track our drivers progress straight from your phone!
  • Again, please label your bags/boxes with CMRKBBBS so our drivers will take the correct bags.

* For everyone's safety we ask that you please keep your dogs inside or leashed well away from the pickup area. Our drivers cannot take donations at locations where a dog is loose. 

What do I do if my donation was not picked up on the scheduled day?

Do you pick up in bad weather?

  • We do pick up in all types of weather, including rain and light snow. If driving conditions are unsafe or if there is a State of Emergency, we will cancel our pick-up routes for that day. If we cancel a route, we will call the people scheduled for pick-up and will reschedule as quickly as possible. We’ll post cancellation notices on our homepage.

How soon will I be notified if there is bad weather?

  • This question is difficult to answer. It depends on how bad the weather is and how quickly our staff can come in to the office to make cancellation calls. We have over 1,500 people to call, and so it does take time to get to everyone.  Thank you for your patience.  We’ll post cancellation notices to the announcements page of our website & social media: Facebook & Twitter.

Please be aware that CMRK drivers reserve the right to leave behind items that do not meet our packing/acceptable material requirements i.e. household waste, non-acceptable items, and unmarked/ improperly packaged items (see list below):

Gently Used Clothing

ACCEPTABLE

  • All sizes and seasons
  • Night clothes & robes
  • Undergarments 
  • Bedding / linens
  • Purses
  • Jewelry & accessories

NON-ACCEPTABLE

  • None


Athletic Sneakers & Shoes

ACCEPTABLE

  • All athletic sneakers
  • Lifestyle / leisure shoes
  • Dress shoes
  • Boots

NON-ACCEPTABLE

  • Ripped shoes
  • Single shoe
  • Moldy shoes


Household Items

ACCEPTABLE

  • All usable household items
  • Knick-knacks
  • DVD's (in its case, up to 3 boxes with covers
  • Dishes / Plates
  • Pots & Pans
  • Cups
  • Silverware
  • Coffee makers

NON-ACCEPTABLE

  • None


Textbooks / Books

ACCEPTABLE

  • Up to 3 boxes with covers

NON-ACCEPTABLE

  • Magazines


Small Toys

ACCEPTABLE

  • Must easily fit in covered boxes

NON-ACCEPTABLE

  • None


Art & Collectibles

ACCEPTABLE

  • Fine art prints
  • Artwork
  • Paintings
  • Coins
  • One of kind items
  • Sports memorabilia

NON-ACCEPTABLE

  • None


Musical Instruments

ACCEPTABLE

  • Most - including accordions & keyboards

NON-ACCEPTABLE

  • Organs
  • Pianos
  • Instruments that cannot be easily moved by one person


Miscellaneous

ACCEPTABLE

  • Bicycles

NON-ACCEPTABLE

  • Furniture
  • Mattresses
  • Chairs