What a haul! Worcester teens collect over 4,000 pounds of litter on the streets

Henry Schwan, Worcester Telegram & Gazette

WORCESTER —  A group of 18 Worcester high school teenagers made history, and picked up a load of garbage in the process.  

Friday at Worcester State University, the teens were honored for completing their participation in the city’s first-ever Worcester Green Corps. Each teenager received a certificate of completion, and local dignitaries such as City Manager Edward M. Augustus, Jr., were there to congratulate them. 

For the past six weeks, the Green Corps fanned across the city with trash bags in hand and picked up more than 4,000 pounds of litter on the streets — in just 18 working days across 18 neighborhoods.  

“I always thought as a kid how dirty the streets were,” said Jose Alamo, 16, a rising sophomore at South High Community School and a Corps member. “I went for it, and knew I could make a change. Hopefully, the city can stay more clean.” 

Additional facts tied to this effort include 137 streets, covering 31 miles. Seven parks were also targeted. And all trash collected was stuffed into 607 trash bags.  

Of all the numbers, the 4,011 pounds of trash collected amazed Miranda Hotham the most. Hotham works for the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce and served as the Corps coordinator.  

“All that trash lying in the middle of the street, and they picked it up. That’s insane to me,” Hotham said. "It gave the kids a sense of pride, and inspired people in the community that the city cares."

Litter problem in Worcester

Hotham acknowledged that litter is a problem in Worcester that people have been talking about for a long time. She said the idea of the Corps came from two people —  Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tim Murray, and United Way of Central Massachusetts President and CEO Tim Garvin. 

The two organizations partnered with the city of Worcester to establish the Green Corps. The trio provided funding, along with the Worcester Community Action Council and the Worcester Business Development Corp.  

The WCAC provided the 18 teenagers through its Youthworks Summer Jobs Program.  

Augustine Mbokar, 17, a rising senior at North High School, was one of them.  

“I didn’t like it at first,” Mbokar said after receiving a certificate of appreciation. “Embarrassing” was the word Mbokar used to describe his initial feelings of going around the city, with a bag in hand, scooping up litter.  

But six weeks later, his attitude changed.  

“It feels good. It was fun, I made friends, and I look forward to doing it again,” Mbokar said.

Really proud of the kids

The teenagers were joined in the field by six college-age supervisors. One was Julianna Diliberto, 23, from Shrewsbury.

“I’m really proud of all the kids,” Diliberto said. “It felt like we were doing something tangible and good for the city.” 

And the neighbors noticed.  

“People on the street would tell us we’re doing a good job. The neighbors were really grateful, and really happy about what we were doing,” Diliberto said. 

As for how all this trash ends up on city streets, Jay Fink, the city’s commissioner of public works and parks, said he’s not sure. Fink speculated it could be dropped by those on foot or discarded from passing cars.  

Fink said he is impressed by the efforts of the Green Corps.  

“I’m thrilled. To clean up that amount of trash, it showed the residents there is hope, that neighbors can take care of themselves and clean up their trash,” he said. “The residents seeing these kids inspires them."

Green Corps could continue 

The goal is to keep the Green Corps going year after year, Fink said. 

Besides collecting litter, the Corps included an educational component.

Every Friday, the 18 teenagers met with local environmental experts to learn about career options, like water and waste management, urban farming and alternative energies.

Field trips to the city’s water filtration plant and a local waste-management facility were provided.

When asked for his most fulfilling moment as a Green Corps member, Alamo said it was collecting litter at Crompton Park. He plays basketball at the Quinsigamond Avenue park and can’t stand to see trash on the court.  

So he picked it up. 

“I didn’t want to leave (the court) like this,” he said.  

It's moments like those that could inspire more city teenagers to join the Green Corps.

“I’m going to recommend it to my friends,” Mbokar said.