Medford's Waste Reduction Plan Draws National Attention

MEDFORD, MA — The recent announcement of a city infrastructure change has garnered national attention.

Earlier this month, the office of Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn announced that trash will be collected every other week as of July 2027. The change is one component of Medford’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan which aims to increase composting among residents as opposed to regular trash disposal.

The future scheduling change has been met with backlash locally from residents and other city figures, including City Council President Zac Bears.

Comedian and late-night television host Seth Meyers featured the topic during the monologue of his show on Tuesday night.

“The mayor of Medford Massachusetts recently announced a new waste removal program which will reduce trash pickups to once every two weeks, but it’s Massachusetts so bottle recycling is still every day,” Meyers joked.

Earlier this year, Medford was recognized by the Northeast Recycling Council for its composting efforts and zero-waste initiatives.