Photo: Rehua · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Gardner, MA: what to set up and who to call
Gardner Water Department reported one health-based violation to EPA in the last five years: a surface water treatment requirement (Surface Water Treatment Rule), beginning Jan 2022. Gardner has its own drop-off, Manca Brothers, Inc., on 91 Fredette Street.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Gardner, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Gardner.
Power comes from National Grid
National Grid (Massachusetts Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Gardner. Its homes paid an average of 33.7¢ per kWh in 2025, about $164 a month (its average across Massachusetts, for customers on its standard service). Massachusetts lets you buy power from another supplier; 64% of National Grid’s home customers do, and National Grid still delivers it.
Start or move service: masselec.com · (972) 505-4700
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Gardner Water Department
Gardner Water Department supplies Gardner: about 93% of residents live in its service area. About 7% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws surface water and serves 21,381 people in all.
1 health-based violation reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a surface water treatment requirement (Surface Water Treatment Rule), beginning Jan 2022. 83% of the 3,525 systems serving 10,001–50,000 people had none.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Dec 2025, was 3.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 8.0 ppb. That’s higher than 79% of similar systems’ latest results.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. MA2103000.
5 home internet providers serve Gardner
100% of 6,011 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 52% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 100% | 2,000/250 |
| Gateway Fiber | Fiber | 51% | 2,000/2,000 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 41% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 40% | 300/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 17% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Gardner depends on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Gardner, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s dayLook up your day on gardner-ma.gov
- RecyclingEvery other weekCheck which week on gardner-ma.gov →
- Bulky itemsDrop-off only
Gardner Transfer Station (Resident Transfer Station)
744 West Street, Gardner, MA 01440
We couldn’t find its opening hours.
Cost: $30 per year (valid July 1 to June 30)
Accepted at the curb
- Newspaper with inserts
- Magazines, catalogs & paperbacks
- Junk mail & office paper
- Paper bags, paperboard, e.g. cereal box
- Corrugated cardboard, cut to 2' x 2' max
- Pizza Boxes
- Tin, steel, aluminum food cans & lids
- Plastic bottles, jars jugs and lids
- Glass bottles/jars (all colors)
From gardner-ma.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 2026-09-27, 2026-2027. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. .
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Gardner is in Gardner School District.
C−School gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jun 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Gardner is in ZIP code 01440
ZIP codes where Gardner residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Gardner | ZIP’s residents in Gardner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01440 | Gardner, MA | 100% | 99% |
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Gardner
Who supplies Gardner’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Gardner Water Department (EPA ID MA2103000). It reported 1 health-based violation to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a surface water treatment requirement (Surface Water Treatment Rule). 83% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 3.0 ppb (Jan–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Gardner?
National Grid (Massachusetts Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 33.7¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Gardner?
Xfinity, Gateway Fiber, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Gardner?
01440. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Gardner in?
Gardner School District.
How do I register to vote in Gardner?
In Massachusetts you can register online until 10 days before Election Day, in person until 10 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 10 days before). Elections here are run by the Gardner City Clerk. Check your registration at sec.state.ma.us.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: Gardner’s own website (gardner-ma.gov), read Oct 21, 2026, pickup and drop-off facts extracted and checked against the page they came from.
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.