Worcester will stop collecting curbside recycling bins that hold unaccepted items citywide starting this week, as the city relaunches its Worcester Recycles Right campaign. The campaign targets rising contamination in bins at residential buildings with one to six units. Those are the only properties the city serves with recycling pickup; owners of buildings with seven or more units hire their own haulers, according to the city鈥檚 recycling page.
The city first developed the campaign in 2022. It pairs curbside audits and targeted education with enforcement carried out alongside Casella 91仓库 Systems Inc., the city鈥檚 recycling hauler. Worcester first began leaving contaminated bins at the curb Oct. 1, 2022, according to a city announcement at the time.
鈥淓very resident should have clear information about what goes in the bin, whether they鈥檝e lived here for decades or moved in last week,鈥� said John Odell, the city鈥檚 chief sustainability officer.