Keep Worcester Clean Program

Keep Worcester Clean (KWC) is a coordinated city-wide effort by multiple partners who work year-round cleaning litter and other debris such as abandoned vehicles, graffiti and more, from the streets and sidewalks. But they can't do it alone - residents who respect and value their community are the heart of the program. We must all work together to keep our city clean.

How You Can Help

We must all work together to Keep Worcester Clean. Here are some simple ways that you can help:

During the Fall Leaf Collection Program, rake leaves from the sidewalk to the edge of the street gutter. Once the street is posted with the leaf collection flyers, push the leaves into the gutter for collection.
During the Spring Sweeping Program, sweep winter sediment into the gutters on your street.
Illegal dumping is not only a nuisance, it carries a hefty fine. To dispose of bulk items properly, contact Worcester 311 for an appointment at the Millbury Street Residential Drop-Off & Recycling Center. For curbside pick-up with a per-item fee, you can call the City's recycling contractor, Casella Waste Management of Massachusetts, Inc. at 508-832-2349.
Report incidents of graffiti, missing street signs, abandoned vehicles, blocked catch basins, etc. to Worcester 311 by calling 311 or going online.
Set a good example and don’t litter! Keep a small trash bag in your vehicle for trash.
Set recyclables and trash at the curb between 6 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. on your scheduled collection day.
To avoid recyclables from blowing out of your bin, place heavier items on top.
Use designated trash receptacles in city parks. Receptacles are for litter, not household trash.

Please help keep our city clean!

To request services or report problems, call 311 or submit your request online through Worcester 311.

Service Requests

The Clean Streets Collective

Volunteer with Work Gloves and Trash Bag Collecting Debris and Trash from Sidewalk

The Clean Streets Collective encourages residents and community organizations to take an active role in keeping their neighborhoods clean. Through this initiative, the Department of Sustainability & Resilience, along with the Quality of Life Team, will provide no-cost green trash bags to community members for voluntary litter cleanups. Filled bags will be collected by the sanitation team during regular trash removal.

Adopt An Island

The Adopt An Island Program is a comprehensive clean up and awareness program, seeking support from all segments of the community. This program seeks sponsors and volunteers to work in partnership with the city and allows these sponsors to choose a traffic island or median that they can maintain and beautify.

The city cannot do it alone but with your help we can make a big difference. By adopting islands and working in partnership, we can make Worcester more beautiful than it already is. Adopting an island will allow sponsors the opportunity to help the city and show their pride in the community. We encourage all to participate and look forward to a variety of clean and colorful islands.

The adopted island can either be grass, concrete or asphalt. The sponsors can be individuals, a group, businesses, residents, young people or seniors; all are welcome.
Sponsors are responsible for the planting and maintenance of islands from April through November. Any dead plantings must be replaced and islands need to be weeded and cleaned as often as necessary.
The DPW & Parks will provide up to two (2) bags of mulch for small areas (while funding lasts) and allow compost material to be picked up at the Bulk Waste Drop-Off Center on Millbury Street at no cost.
Unfortunately, DPW cannot provide for watering of any plantings, so this must be done solely by the sponsors. Plantings, shrubs, small fences, stone, etc. will be paid for by the participants.
The City's appreciation will be shown by providing the sponsor a 2 foot by 2 foot sign with the sponsor's name to be prominently displayed on their adopted island, a letter of appreciation and an adoption certificate.

Learn more about the Do's and Don'ts of adopting a traffic island/median. Interested parties can fill out the application below or call the DPW Customer Service Center at 508-929-1300 with any questions.

Application