City of Worcester, MA

WORCESTER, Mass. – The City of Worcester announced Thursday the development of a comprehensive Zero Waste Master Plan intended to provide an aspirational and comprehensive roadmap to prevent and reduce waste in alignment with the municipality’s Green Worcester Plan. 

The City of Worcester Department of Sustainability & Resilience (DSR) is working with its consultants, Zero Waste Associates, to manage plan development including engaging the community, developing technical analyses on specific topics of interest, developing an implementation plan, and more. Some of the programs and opportunities to be explored through this project are:

• Efficacy of the current residential Pay-As-You-Throw (Yellow Bag) and curbside recycling programs
• Access to recycling and trash service options for large multifamily and commercial buildings
• Opportunities for food scraps composting
• Approaches to reduce illegal dumping and littering
• Services available at the Millbury Street Drop-off Center, and more.

A crucial part of the research that will inform the Master Plan is the Waste Characterization Study, currently being conducted by consultants Diversion Designers. Diversion Designers’ team is collecting nearly 11 tons of randomly selected waste samples over a span of 3 weeks through April 18. The team is then bringing the samples to a secure location, where the waste is weighed, sorted, and analyzed. Afterwards, the samples are disposed as usual at our Waste-to-Energy converter in Millbury. 

This study, a first of its kind for the municipality, will holistically and thoroughly look at all sources of trash produced in the city – not just trash from curbside program participants, but also multi-family homes, businesses, schools, and more. It will provide a full picture of trash production and help identify trash diversion opportunities. 

The Zero Waste Master Plan is expected to be completed by early 2026, and involves robust community engagement, including three public workshops and three online town halls for residents to share feedback on the plan (to be scheduled this summer and early fall).

The Zero Waste Master Plan stems from the Green Worcester Plan, which was adopted in 2021 and reaffirmed residents’ general support for green and sustainable initiatives.

Resident Survey: Residents of the City are invited to take the Worcester Waste Survey:  tinyurl.com/ZWMPSurvey. Results of the survey will help the city understand what residents do with their waste and how they feel about existing waste management programs in Worcester. The answers will help shape programs, policies, and services to better serve the community and support Worcester’s sustainability goals (via Zero Waste Master Plan).

Business Listening Session: Business representatives are invited to participate in a “listening session” hosted by the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce on April 16 at 12 p.m.: https://business.worcesterchamber.org/events/details/the-city-s-zero-waste-master-plan-listening-session-18815. This will be a chance for local business owners and leaders to provide direct input, share concerns, and help shape a plan that reflects the realities and needs of Worcester’s business community.

To sign up for future announcements, visit tinyurl.com/ZWNews