City of Newburyport to Conduct Curbside Trash Audit During June

NEWBURYPORT, Mass. — The City of Newburyport will be conducting a curbside trash audit during the month of June as part of its ongoing efforts to improve waste reduction and sustainability initiatives. The audit will be performed by WasteZero, a nationally recognized waste management consulting and services company which produces bulky item stickers and the City’s overflow bags.

During the audit, WasteZero staff will drive the regular trash collection routes and examine a representative sample of curbside trash set out by residents. The WasteZero staff will be wearing visibility vests and will have ID badges. The purpose of the audit is to get an estimate of the rate of usage of the City’s overflow bags and to encourage their use. The overflow bags were implemented in October 2024, when the allowable trash limit was reduced from 96 gallons per household per week, to 64 gallons. That reduction was introduced after a twelve-year period of increasing options for recycling more kinds of materials.

In addition to documenting how many households have an overflow bag at the curb, WasteZero will be placing a green rejection sticker on bags of trash in excess of 64 gallons. What does 64 gallons look like? Examples are five 13-gallon kitchen bags OR two 33-gallon black trash bags. G. Mello, the City’s contracted trash collection company, will pick up trash up to the 64-gallon limit, but leave behind bags with the green sticker.

G. Mello Disposal is regularly instructed to take up to 64 gallons of trash per household, and to leave the rest behind. Sending less trash to the incinerator is an important way to keep the City’s expenses under control.

Residents do not need to take any special action during the audit period. Trash and recycling should be placed curbside according to normal collection schedules.

City of Newburyport’s orange overflow bags can be purchased at the customer service desks at Market Basket and Shaw’s, and from cashiers at Richdale, Black Duck, and 7-Eleven.

For more information about the curbside trash audit, please contact the Sustainability Office at 978-499-0413 or sustainability@newburyportma.gov