Feasibility of a Pay-As-You-Throw Program for West Lafayette West Lafayette Go Greener Commission

What is Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT)? Defined by the EPA as a system under which residents pay for municipal waste services per unit of waste collected rather then paying a fixed fee

Current Status of WL Trash Collection The current West Lafayette trash collection system (personnel and trucks) will reach its maximum capacity in the next two years, due to population growth West Lafayette does not currently cover its costs with the current trash collection rate ($9/month). Therefore, trash fees are going to change – We want them to change in a way that promotes equity, as well as an overall reduction in trash sent to landfills

Current status of WL Recycling Over the past few years, West Lafayette’s recycling rate has not increased much – 29.3% in 2002 – 33.4% in 2007 This is less than the statewide average of ~39%

EPICS Study for PAYT -West Lafayette EPICS is a program intended to solve engineering-based problems for local community service and educational organizations. Project Partner: WL Go Greener Commission Fall Semester 2008 and Spring 2009 WL Presentation in Spring/Summer 2009

EPICS Study The motives behind EPICS research was to design a system that would: – Increase recycling – Increase equity – Not result in extra cost to the City – Be easy to implement Researched Bloomington & East Lansing Interviewed Dave Downey and reviewed cash-flows Recommended implementation of PAYT

“3E” PAYT Goals Economic Stability: Stable revenue covers the cost of services Equity: Economically fair delivery of services Environmental Sustainability: Effectively reduce waste production

Why is PAYT a good idea for me? PAYT promotes equity You pay only for your OWN trash to get collected West Lafayette Streets & Sanitation Department 04/15/08

What types of PAYT programs exist? Cans: Residents pay higher fees for larger containers Bags: Residents pay a fee for garbage bags Stickers: Residents pay for stickers affixed to bags/containers

Where else has PAYT been implemented? 150 communities in Indiana have implemented PAYT, >7,000 municipalities nationwide (as of 2008) Other college towns, such as Bloomington, IN have implemented PAYT Communities with student populations generally more amenable due to support of environmental arguments in unit-based pricing

What does Go Greener recommend? A “two-tiered” system would allow cost issues to be addressed in a way that is more equitable to West Lafayette’s citizens – 1 st tier: A flat monthly charge would be used to cover the fixed costs associated with trash collection and allows for the disposal of one bag of trash per collection week – 2 nd tier: An additional fee would be used to cover the costs associated with collecting and disposing additional amounts of waste

How would my trash get collected under a two-tiered PAYT system? Everyone with city waste service would still pay a flat fee. – The flat fee would include recyclable and yard waste pickup and one trash can or bag A sticker would be required to be attached to ‘extra’ cans or bags Bulk pick up would cost extra too – Bulk item stickers are available that would cost as much as 4 regular stickers – A “bulk item” is defined as any item or group of items that do not fit in the specified bag size

What kind of stickers would be used? Stickers would resemble wristbands. They can wrap around a handle or stick on a bag – Easy to use – Cannot be re-used You don’t have to worry about your neighbors taking your sticker for their own trash – Waterproof You can still put your trash out the night before

Where can I get the stickers? Marsh and Kroger have already agreed to sell the stickers Other stores we hope to include are Wal-Mart, Ace Hardware, and campus locations (e.g. bookstores), as these locations already participate in other communities that have implemented PAYT Online and printed off??

What happens if I don’t put the correct stickers on my trash? Your trash would not be picked up Sanitation workers would put a different sticker on your trash, reminding you that your trash would not be collected until it has the proper sticker

How has PAYT benefited other communities? Wilmington, NC - $400,000 per year (Population: 75,000) Littleton, NH - $40,000 in extra funds (Population: 5,800) Gainesville, FL - $186,200 savings (Population: 96,000) San Jose, CA - $4 million per year (Population: 850,000) Dover, NH - reduced waste by 7,100 tons/yr in (Population: 29,000) , achieved a 50% recycling rate, & saved $322,000/yr

What do residents in communities with PAYT think of it? PAYT offers “a direct economic payback to the people”—San Jose elected official High recycling rates in cities correlates with PAYT Surveys indicate residential approval Positive changes in consumer purchasing behavior

Illegal Diversion (aka dumping!) We already have dumping : ( – It will likely persist at some level Most communities have found dumping to be less of a concern than anticipated. Most communities have found either no change or a decrease in dumping after implementing PAYT. ( A community can minimize the potential by offering education and complementary programs (yard waste and recycling pick up) and with fair enforcement policies.

Education/Outreach The Go Greener commission will work with the sanitation department to educate the public about the new trash collection system – Newsletters – Local media – City website – Utility bill inserts – Campus move-in info

What can I do to reduce my trash now? Pre-cycle Compost Re-use items Donate used items (but not trash!) to Goodwill or other non-profit organizations Flatten and crush what you can Recycle Leave grass clippings on your lawn or compost them

What else? Share your opinion/ concerns/ praise with your city council representatives and the Go Greener Commissioners