Trash pickup in Worcester County is handled by each municipality. Worcester uses the Pay-As-You-Throw yellow bag program with weekly curbside collection. Private haulers serve most rural towns, and MassDEP Waste Ban regulations (310 CMR 19.017) apply statewide.
Worcester County does not operate trash collection — each of the 60 municipalities does because county government was abolished in 1998. The City of Worcester operates a municipal Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) yellow bag program under which residents purchase official yellow trash bags (currently about $2 for 30-gallon and $1 for 15-gallon) and weekly curbside collection is operated by the Department of Public Works & Parks. Recycling is single-stream, collected weekly in alternating-week pattern with yard waste in fall/spring. Bags and bins must be at the curb by 7:00 AM on the scheduled day. Holiday weeks shift pickup one day later. Fitchburg, Leominster, Gardner, and Milford operate similar municipal programs, some using PAYT stickers rather than bags. Many smaller Worcester County towns (Princeton, Sterling, Rutland, Paxton, Holden, Boylston, West Boylston) contract with private haulers (Republic Services, Casella, Waste Management) or use regional transfer stations; residents purchase annual transfer-station stickers. MassDEP Waste Ban regulations (310 CMR 19.017) prohibit disposal of cardboard, metal, glass, certain plastics, leaves, textiles (since 2022), mattresses (since 2022), and other materials in the trash statewide. The Wheelabrator Millbury waste-to-energy facility processes much of Worcester County's trash.
Worcester non-yellow-bag trash not collected — repeat violations bring $50-$200 fines under Revised Ordinances. Illegal dumping: $500-$10,000 plus restitution under MGL c. 270 §16. MassDEP Waste Ban violations: commercial $1,000-$25,000/day; residential generally warning then fine.
Worcester, MA
Worcester enforces quiet hours between 10 PM and 7 AM on weekdays and 11 PM to 7 AM on weekends under the city's Excessive and Unreasonable Noise ordinance. ...
Worcester, MA
Worcester regulates construction noise under its noise ordinance. Construction activities generating excessive noise are restricted during quiet hours. Permi...
Worcester, MA
Worcester addresses barking dogs under both the noise ordinance and animal control regulations. Dogs creating persistent noise that disturbs neighbors consti...
Worcester, MA
MGL c. 90, §22C — abandoned vehicles on public ways tagged after 72 hours, may be towed. Worcester Police and DPW enforce. City also has an 'Unregistered Veh...
Worcester, MA
Worcester regulates parking of recreational vehicles, boats, and trailers in residential areas. These vehicles should be stored on private property and are s...
Worcester, MA
Worcester requires vehicles to be parked on approved hard surfaces. Driveway construction or modification requires permits. Vehicles may not be parked on fro...
See how Worcester's pickup rules & schedules rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.