Worcester Trash Bag Price Hike Would Fund Recycling Bins: Budget

WORCESTER, MA — The winds of change are blowing toward Worcester's trash collection system — perhaps the first time wind and trash day in Worcester were a good mix.

Worcester City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. wants to raise the cost of Worcester's yellow pay-as-you-throw trash bags for the first time in 14 years. The added revenue would be used to buy recycling bins for city residents to lid a recurring problem: that recyclables tend to blow away and end up strewn across backyards, parks and along gutters.

Under the proposal, the yellow trash bags would cost 25 cents more apiece. That means a $7.50 roll of small trash bags would rise to $10. The increase would generate about $350,000 more per year, Augustus estimates.

In many communities across the state, resident toss recyclables in 64-gallon wheeled carts with lids. Other communities provide 18-gallon plastic boxes. In Worcester, residents leave recyclables in whatever container they have at home — whether it's a cardboard box or a plastic hamper. The lack of a formal system plus windy weather can create a mess.

"Much of the blame for recycling blowing into the streets on windy days lies with the design of the current bins, which are open-topped, with nothing to prevent refuse from escaping, and small enough that residents often overload the bins," a 2017 Worcester Regional Research Bureau report on the city's trash collection system said.

In the proposed system, Worcester would provide a new type of bin to each home and apartment. The bins are square and have a domed, vented lid to keep light items like aluminum cans and cardboard inside. You can see an image of one here.

The new recycling bin program is one of several initiatives in Augustus' $733.8 million 2022 budget aimed at Worcester's litter problems. He is also proposing:

• Sending $5,000 to each City Council district to be used to organize and pay for volunteer neighborhood and park cleanups
• Spend $75,000 from federal funds to support the new Worcester Green Corps program, which, among other things, would hire young people to pick up trash around the city
• Hire two more nuisance inspectors to respond to problems like illegal dumping and graffiti
• Hire four people whose only job would be to pick up litter around Worcester
• Expanding the hours of the Millbury Street drop-off center to 7 p.m. on Wednesdays between April and November

Augustus attempted to put a lid on the trash problem in 2019 when he introduced the Comprehensive Clean City Program. That program would've added a new bag system for recyclables. The proposal never passed City Council, and many residents spoke out against having to buy bags for recyclables.

The changes to Worcester's disposable waste system, including the yellow bag price increase, will be part of budget deliberations in May and June.

Clarification: Worcester does provide recycling bins to residents at the DPW&P Customer Service Center, but the bins have been out of stock for some time, according to the public works website.