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City of Worcester, MA

Eric D. Batista
City Manager

City of Worcester Relaunches ‘Worcester Recycles Right Campaign’

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 10/21/2026 11:35 am

WORCESTER, Mass. – The City of Worcester is relaunching its Worcester Recycles Right campaign this month to reduce rising contamination in curbside recycling bins at residential buildings with one to six units. The campaign responds to the growing need for clear, accessible resident education.

Initially developed in 2022, the campaign combines coordinated curbside audits, targeted education, and collaborative enforcement with the City's recycling hauler, Casella Waste Systems, Inc., to increase residents' awareness of recycling rules and improve compliance.

“We're excited to relaunch this campaign. Every resident should have clear information about what goes in the bin, whether they’ve lived here for decades or moved in last week. When residents recycle right, we save public dollars, recover more usable material, and protect our environment,” said John Odell, Chief Sustainability Officer.

The need for education is especially strong in Worcester, where new residents are always arriving, often without knowing local recycling rules, so continuous, multilingual communication is essential. Better compliance will also produce higher-quality recycling that is more valuable to reuse.

Campaign Timeline

  • October and November: City staff and volunteers will conduct curbside audits, education, and enforcement in areas with high observed contamination. They will distribute bilingual warning bin tags and door hangers with educational information.
  • One week after initial outreach: “Oops” stickers will be placed on contaminated bins along the same routes, and contaminated recycling will not be collected.
  • Week of Nov. 9: Enforcement of contaminated recycling bins will begin citywide.
  • Spring: Staff will develop additional outreach materials for residential mailings to reinforce the message.

The campaign will also be promoted citywide through social media and website content. The municipality will evaluate the campaign’s results to inform future program adjustments.

Residents can visit worcesterma.gov/recycling to learn what is and isn't recyclable, what to do with items that don't belong in the bin, and more.

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