COMMUNITIES

Pay-As-You-Throw

CASE Study: Upper Arlington

In 1992, the City of Upper Arlington started a Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) program for its 32,000 residents to dispose of their trash. Each 33-gallon can or bag of trash must have a sticker on it, currently priced at $2.25.

Trash stickers can be purchased at local stores and at the city building. The PAYT program is self-sustaining through sticker fees, and city employees collect the trash.

Weekly curbside recycling is provided by the city at no additional cost. Yard waste is collected curbside once a week, and each container or bundle requires one trash sticker. Or, residents can drop off yard waste free at a local composting facility.The city also provides free pickup for loose leaves in the fall. By 1999, the city had achieved a 36% diversion rate for its solid waste.

CASE STUDY: Village of Forest

Another Pay-As-You-Throw program was started in the Village of Forest in 1998 with funding assistance through a grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

The PAYT program complements the village's existing drop-off recycling center and avoids the cost of providing curbside recycling services. Residents pay $11.50 per month (collected on their water bill) to set out two 30-gallon bags of garbage per week.

Additional bags must be tagged with a special sticker, which can be purchased locally. In the program's first year, the city's solid waste collection decreased by 45% and recycling at the drop-off center increased 350%. With the PAYT program, the village also significantly reduced garbage collection time for their workers.

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