January 11, 2001

This biweekly column tries to answer some of the most commonly asked questions about recycling, composting and the Town's solid waste program.

As has been reported in the Minuteman, the Town of Lexington is considering a change in the way residents pay for trash disposal. Currently the costs of trash disposal are 100% subsidized by local taxes. Under the proposed "pay-as-you-throw" (PAYT) system, the costs of trash disposal would be split between tax-levy assessments and revenues from sales of bag tags which would be affixed to each bag of trash. In this week's column, we have asked the Solid Waste Action Team and the PAYT Advisory Committee (PAYTAC) to answer some of the questions that have been asked about the PAYT concept.

Q: Why are we changing the trash program in Lexington? Why don't we just keep doing what we've done in the past?

A: Trash disposal costs are soaring as fees we pay for trash incineration go up. We need to reduce the tonnage we send to the incinerator to decrease the burden of waste management on the taxpayer. At the same time, health researchers have uncovered widespread new health risks from the toxic pollutants spewing from the state's trash incinerators. And as landfills close across the state, we are simply running out of places to put our trash (Even the landfills that accept ash from incinerators are filling up.). PAYT is a proven way of increasing recycling and reducing trash tonnage.

Q: What is pay-as-you-throw (PAYT)?

A: The core idea of PAYT is that when you discard less, you should pay less. Under PAYT, about one-third to one-half of the disposal costs would be moved from the tax levy to the per-bag payment. But there would be no charge for recycling or yard waste. Thus, recycling and waste reduction would be rewarded in a clear and unmistakable way. And costs would be more fairly apportioned because people who use more disposal services would be partially compensating other taxpayers for the increased expenses their trash imposes on the Town.

Most other aspects of the waste management program would remain the same: The same trucks would pick up trash at curbside on the same schedule.

Q: Is this a new idea?

A: No, PAYT has proven itself in over 95 towns in Massachusetts that have already adopted some form of a PAYT system. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection is striving to make PAYT the standard for the state.

Q: How much would PAYT reduce our trash?

A: Based on experiences in other communities, the PAYTAC estimates that PAYT would reduce the total quantity of curbside waste by 14% and increase the recycling rate by 8%. The end result is that 23% less trash would be sent to the incinerator.

Q: How much money would PAYT save us?

A: Considering only the savings on incineration expenses (and ignoring any savings in collection costs), the PAYTAC calculated that PAYT can save about $300,000 in FY2004.

Q: After deducting the cost of the tags from my tax savings, will I pay more or less for trash disposal under PAYT?

A: The majority of households will pay less for waste management services. But it depends on how much waste you generate. A detailed study of household benefits is available from the PAYTAC. Senior citizens in particular will benefit because they tend to put out less trash than the average household. Generally, only households that continue to put out two or three times the average level of trash would experience increased waste disposal expenses. In considering these results, it is important to remember that the benefits of PAYT extend far

beyond the Town budget to include savings in health costs, environmental costs, jobs created in the recycling industry, etc.. These benefits are enjoyed by everyone and they appear to exceed the savings derived through the Town budget.

Q: What are the potential problems with PAYT?

A: The major difficulties are explaining to people how the program works and helping residents get through the changeover period. The PAYTAC also noted that there is a potential for increased incidents of illegal disposal when the program is initiated, but experience in other communities indicates that this is a transient problem that goes away after the first few months of operation. Once the transition period is over, PAYT usually enjoys high levels of public support.

Q: What if I use barrels rather than bags?

A: You will be able to buy a barrel label to affix to your barrels. It would be good for trash collection over a six month period.

Q: How can I learn more about PAYT?

A: The League of Women Voters "First Friday" talk on Friday February 2 at 25 Bridge St. at 9:30 AM will be about PAYT. Speakers will be Judy Uhrig and John Andrews, of the town's PAYT Advisory Committee. A collection of PAYT reference material is available at the East Lexington Public Library. If you have Internet access, check out the SWAT website, http://www.lexingtonma.org/swat/HomePage.htm. Or go the the EPA website:

www.epa.gov/payt. If you send your email address to this column, we will send you an electronic copy of the report of the PAYT Advisory Committee.

Got a question? You can reach us by calling the League of Women Voters

line at 861-0123 or by

email at lexrecycles@hotmail.com.