City councilor: Worcester should stop rejecting overweight trash bags

WORCESTER — One likely topic that will be discussed during the City Council meeting on Tuesday is trash – specifically whether the city should reject overweight trash bags.

In a Thursday statement, District 3 City Councilor George Russell, who chairs the Standing Committee on Public Works, announced he will bring forth orders to request City Manager Eric D. Batista consider discontinuing the procedure of rejecting trash bags that are believed to be overweight – more than 15 pounds for a small bag or more than 30 pounds for a large bag – or to have similar violations.

"City residents have complained that trash crews are leaving behind sometimes stinky trash bags they deem too heavy," Russell said in a statement. "This practice leads to unclean neighborhoods and a rise in rodent activity. This is not safe nor clean and does not show that the city prioritizes clean streets and quality of life."

The councilor also says the practice leads to inspectors from the Quality of Life team being forced to weigh and pick up rejected bags. “The hardworking residents of Worcester shouldn’t have to weigh their trash bags before they bring them out. Or even worse, come home from work to find the City neglected to pick up the bag and now it’s been outside all day inviting bugs and rodents," Russell said in his statement. "The City Administration should not be adding to our litter and trash problem by leaving bags out for extra days or more.”

In the statement, Russell said the City Council and former City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. approved an increase in the price of trash bags for the purpose of purchasing higher-quality bags with drawstrings.

Trash is something people in the city have strong and mixed feelings about, with opinions varying on how clean the city is as well as the strength of the yellow trash bags and recycling bins.

The city's new customer service center at 799 Main St. is home of Worcester's first trash bag vending machine , where residents can purchase sleeves of trash bags that are part of the city's pickup system.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: City councilor: Worcester should stop rejecting overweight trash bags