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Worcester waste study finds large share of food and organics; city rolls out 150 street recycling bins
Summary
City staff presented preliminary results from a waste characterization study showing food and other organics make up a large portion of the waste stream and recapped public workshops for the city's zero-waste master plan. The city also reported deployment of 150 dual-stream (WooBin) receptacles across busy corridors.
WORCESTER, Mass. (July 28, 2025) — City sustainability staff told the Green Worcester Advisory Committee on Monday that early results from a municipal waste characterization study show food and other organic material account for a large share of the local waste stream, and that the city is moving forward with outreach and new public recycling infrastructure.
The city collected 111 samples earlier this spring that were hand-sorted into 50 categories, Jesse Davis, Department of Sustainability & Resilience (DSR) staff, told the committee. "We had over 50 people participate overall," Davis said of recent zero-waste workshops, and he described the waste study as the first of its kind for Worcester. "Food and other organics represent over 50% of the total of the pie," he said, identifying food diversion as a major opportunity for cost savings and composting programs.
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