United StatesEnvironmental ProtectionAgency

Solid Waste andEmergency Response(5305W)

EPA530-F-96-028April 1997

Pay-As-You-Throw

Throw Away Less and Save

E ach time your city or townsends a truck down yourstreet to pick up your trash,it costs money. It costs

money even if you drop off yourtrash at a local dump. Ultimately, youpay for this service, usually throughyour local taxes. And it’s not likelythat you have much control over theamount you pay, regardless of howmuch garbage you create.

There is a dif-ferent system,

however, underwhich residents are

You probablyknow how

much you spendper month on yourelectricity and gas

utilities. But doyou know how

much you spendon garbage?

asked to pay for waste collec-tion directly-based on theamount of garbage they actuallygenerate. They’re called “pay-as-you-throw” programs, and nearly2,000 communities across thecountry have begun using them.

What ispay-as-you-throw?

Pay-as-you-throw is a differentway of paying for waste col-lection and disposal services.In some pay-as-you-throw

communities, it works on a per-con-tainer basis: households are chargedfor each bag or can of waste theygenerate. A few communities billresidents based on the weight oftheir trash. Either way, the systemmotivates people to recycle moreand think about how to generateless waste in the first place.

For community residents, however,the most important advantage ofpay-as-you-throw may be the fair-ness and greater control over coststhat it offers. Do you have neighborswho never seem to recycle andalways leave out six or seven bagsof trash? While you may not havethought about it,right nowyou’re

l

When people generate less waste and recycle more, fewer nautral resources are used and there

is less pollution from manufacturing

helping them pay for that waste. Under pay-as-you-throw, everyone pays only for what theygenerate-so you won’t have to subsidize yourneighbor’s wastefulness any more. It’s only fair.With pay-as-you-throw, when you recycle and

solutions. Illegal dumping is a frequently raisedissue. While people often assume that illegaldumping will increase once residents are askedto pay for each container of waste they gener-ate, most communities with pay-as-you-throw

prevent waste, you’re rewardedwith a lower trash bill.

Because of these potential costsavings, both you and yourneighbors will naturally wantto reduce the amount of wastethat you generate. And whenpeople reduce waste, that canmean lower costs for yourcommunity, since it costs lessto collect and dispose ofeveryone’s trash. This mighteven free up funding forother municipal services youdepend upon-like schoolsand fire and police protection.

have found this not to be thecase. This is especially truewhen communities offer theirresidents recycling, compost-ing for yard trimmings, andother programs that allowindividuals to reduce wastelegally. Others, particularlylower-income residents, worryabout how much they willhave to pay. In many commu-nities, however, coupon orvoucher programs are helpingto defray their expenses.

In addition, the pay-as-you-throw incentive to put lesswaste at the curb can make abig environmental difference.When people generate lesswaste and recycle more, fewernatural resources are used andthere is less pollution frommanufacturing. Valuable land-fill space is conserved as well,reducing the need to site newfacilities.

What can I do?

If you’re interested in pay-as-you-throw, talk to your townplanner or local elected rep-resentatives! Ask them ifthey know about pay-as-you-throw and whether theywould consider using it inyour community. In addition,if you want to learn moreabout pay-as-you-throw, orif your local town planneris seeking specific tools tohelp design and implementpay-as-you-throw in your

community, EPA has developed a wide rangeof products that can help. To find out moreabout EPA’s collection of community successstories, program-planning tools, guidebooks,and other products, call the Pay-as-you-throwHelpline toll free at 888-EPA-PAYT.

Are there disadvantagesto pay-as-you-throw?

While there are potential barriers to a success-ful program, communities with pay-as-you-throw report that they have found effective