Selectmen eye pay-as-you-throw trash to save money

By John Basilesco
Staff Writer

May 06, 2008 05:55 am

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PELHAM — The town is looking at starting a pay-as-you-throw trash program to help trim the cost of getting rid of its garbage.

Under the pay-as-you-throw program, which is now used by 47 communities in the state, residents are charged a certain amount of money for each bag that holds their regular trash. They also get bags for recyclable trash which are free.

The program encourages more recycling, which saves money, said Donald Maurer, supervisor of solid waste technical assistance for the state Department of Environmental Services.

It reduces a community's solid waste disposal bill by reducing the overall amount of regular trash, which is expensive to dispose of, and by boosting the amount of recyclable material, which can be sold to generate income, he said. For example, a ton of recyclable paper generates $140, a ton of aluminum cans brings in $1,600 and a ton of steel is worth $400, he said.

Maurer said it could also help Pelham cut its bill for trash disposal, which was $536,169 last year.

While he said it's hard to estimate how much of a savings Pelham could realize, Canterbury, for example, actually wound up making money on its trash by switching to a pay-as-you-throw program last year. Instead of spending $112,000 in a year, the town realized a surplus of $12,000. That's because the amount of recyclable trash the town was able to sell went from 32 percent of its total trash in 2006 to 55 percent last year.

Other communities with pay-as-you-throw programs include Atkinson, Epping, Exeter, Barrington and Dover. Derry considered it seven years ago, but ruled it out after several residents spoke against it.

For towns and cities without a pay-as-you-throw program, Maurer said at least 70 percent of the trash that residents throw out is recyclable trash that could generate income if it were separated. The pay-as-you-throw program provides a financial incentive to separate the trash because the recyclable trash bags are free and the regular bags cost money, typically about $1.50 per bag, he said.

Tonight, Dave Degler, a colleague of Maurer's at DES, will present an overview of the pay-as-you-throw program to selectmen. The meeting starts a 6:30 at Town Hall, 6 Village Green.

"Pay-as-you-throw has proven to increase recycling," Town Administrator Thomas Gaydos said. "This is the opening discussion on how it works. The options will flow from there."