Worcester, MA Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)

The city's Department of Public Works and Parks runs curbside collection under Chapter Four of the Revised Ordinances of 2008, and the commissioner of public works and parks holds full supervision, direction and control over it under Section 1. Section 3(a) makes weekly pickup mandatory for single-family homes and residential buildings of up to six dwelling units, with the city assigning each area a specific collection day; the commissioner can waive service for a given address. Section 3(b) requires that solid waste go out only in bags the commissioner has approved, printed with a weight limit, and bars any bag over that limit from being collected.

Crews will not enter a building or garage to collect: waste must be at curbside, per Section 3(b). Buildings with seven or more units fall outside this residential program and must contract with a private hauler. Because the ordinance treats 'solid waste' as anything the commissioner has not designated a recyclable or bulk item under Section 2, mixed loads that include recyclables or oversized bulk items are handled under separate rules (Sections 4 and 3(c)) rather than the weekly bag pickup. c. 40, § 21D.