We’re just about ready to put a town-wide mailing out on the new PAYT program — which will start June 29th. The guide will have a ton of information about all aspects of the residential waste stream — Pay-As-You-Throw; curbside compost; recycling; hazardous waste, leaf and yard debris and bulky waste. Also included will be dates of four public meetings to inform our residents about PAYT and two curbside cart distribution days.
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5 Part Harmony
I just made my own informational chart to start planning for the switch. I’m calculating the need for five different containers:
– something to put paper, cardboard, etc in, and take to the curb
– something to put cans, bottles, containers in, and take to the curb
– our existing indoor composter to make our own compost
– something to put remaining compost in, and take to the curb
– a place to store the new trash bags
The last two will be new additions to the system.
(Note to architects and developers: New homes should be designed with garbage rooms, in addition to pantries.)
"Single Stream"?
My in-laws in CT do not have to sort their recycling into two different bins. Have you heard anything about us moving that way? It would be a simplifier for our household anyway…
When I lived in Boston we did
When I lived in Boston we did not have to sort our ‘recycling- just break down big boxes. Many places have single stream which I think encourages people to recycle. There’s a lot to think about on trash days here.
In all of this planning and
In all of this planning and information has any thought been given to how elderly or disabled residents will get to wherever they have to go to buy these special bags? If people can’t get to the bags they can’t participate in this mandatory program. It seems like the easier you make it for people to comply the more likely they will be to do just that.
Down with "PAYT"
As far as I remember, town voters voted “PAYT” down at least once. Inflicting this on us is not at all fair.
State Standards
We voted it down locally.
It was a state decision this time. Talk to your state reps….
Also
Spring cleaning this year should take on new meaning for people here. This is your last chance to throw things out “for free,” so take advantage of it. After July, it may cost you.
Free?
Brattleboro has been spending about a million dollars a year on solid waste. The word ‘free’ should never appear in discussions of solid waste. We are paying for the trucks, the people, the gas, the maintenance, the tipping fees and all the administrative costs of dealing with our throwaway society.
When spring cleaning please remember the low cost options of giving things away, using the WSWMD swap shop, composting, recycling, re-using, donating, etc. Every pound of waste that is bagged up for the town (Triple-T) to take away is paid for by taxes.
The whole point of PAYT as designed by the state of Vermont is to change behavior and reduce the amount of our waste. The cost will be shifted to the consumer and the producer of solid waste. Recycling, composting, reducing and re-using are all paths to individual savings.
So yes, spring clean by all means. But it ain’t free to put trash out at the street. I think it gets hauled to the last landfill in Vermont: Coventry (near Canada).
Andy
Indeed
We take advantage of every opportunity to recycle except town composting, from which we were deterred by the tone of emails to pilot participants. Now that we’re going to be paying $3 a bag for trash, we’ll bite the bullet and do this piece. We already compost a lot of kitchen waste, but we can do more.
That said, there is trash, trash is part of life, and always has been. How many home gardeners have found decades old trash in odd corners of their yards, buried under a foot of garden soil? A few, I’m sure. And yes, I feel for the poor home-owning taxpayers (and wish I had the resources to be one, so I could share their woes more directly). But I don’t feel guilty for having trash. I know there’s no way to avoid the fact that things wear out, and in many cases, and there’s no other option but to throw them out.
I agree it would be nice to avoid waste, perhaps even vital, but whether it goes to a landfill or a recycling center, it’s still costing the town money. Until we figure out a way to live without any waste at all — no packaging, no broken things, worn out kitchen items, scraps from other projects, and all the rest of the odds and ends that make it into the trash–we’re going to have costs associated with waste disposal. I pity the mother of children in diapers. Think of all the waste-creating disposable items made for infants and small children?
Those of us who feel strongly that PAYT is a good program, necessary, right, and possibly moral, are going to be fine with it. But there are going to be a lot of people who aren’t, and I feel sure that there will be pushback, not just for what’s being asked of people but the way it’s being not so much asked but demanded of them. On that score, it would help if the PAYT diehards had more sympathy for those who are still getting used to the idea. 😉
It's advice for po' folks...
That’s why “for free” was in quotes. It’s never been actually free.
But it has been part of what many renters pay in rent to landlords so many landlords can pay the taxes to pay for it. Now renters will pay the same rent, plus trash bag costs. (Property owners get a tax reduction that will be eaten up by rising costs before I finish typing this sentence.)
Renters will see a personal budget increase after July. Will all renters get a raise in July to cover this new expense? No. Smart budget planning suggests looking for strategies to minimize the personal financial impact of the change.
I’m speaking specifically to my friends of lesser means, currently renting. Throw it out now, or pay extra to throw it with cash after July. This is a short window of opportunity to save money (and put some stuff in the landfill, for old times sake…). Completely legal, and if trash pickup is included in your rent, it is “free” until July.
For those with homes and incomes that cover basic expenses, ignore this. You are shifting costs away from your taxes and into another part of your wallet. You paid before and will continue to pay, just differently. And if you are a landlord, your taxes might go down a bit. Good for you!
I'm trying to be realistic
I’m trying to be realistic about this PAYT thingy and have come to the conclusion its not gonna be a walk in the park.
We’re trying to get our ourselves prepared with purchasing indoor compost buckets and outdoor compost carts, educating ourselves as to what goes where and what our cost will be on a yearly basis for the trash bags we need to purchase, reconciling ourselves to the fact that the town expense budget has decreased by approx $500,000 yet our taxes remain the same, the town can afford to pay a volunteer/employee retroactivley but cannot afford to offer free or lower cost bags to those who may have to sacrifice on their food or heating bills just to buy bags…….as Julie Andrews would say “these are a few of the wonderful things”……is that really what she said?
Anyway, what precipitated this note is something that came to mind this morning. In an effort to reduce our dependance on foreign oil, hopefully protect the enviornment some (hello Exxon) and perhaps save ourselves a few bucks we purchased and are using a pellet stove. A winters supply of pellets arrives in about 200 heavy duty, huge plastic bags. Does anyone have the foggiest idea what it will cost to dispose of these using the PAYT bags? May be better to say the heck with it and go back to oil.
Makes one wonder what else has not been thought of yet – what will the REAL PAYT cost be to homeowners and renters?
Hey Chris, sure wish iBratt had spell check 🙂
It's very discouraging when
It’s very discouraging when you realize all the things that the PAYT committee and the SB have NOT taken into account in their rush to get this system up and running. Despite apparently months of meetings and planning there is no evidence – at least yet- of them having any fact based idea of just how much this will affect the elderly and poor; how people without cars or who are disabled will get to where ever they are supposed to buy these magical trash bags; how it is deemed fair and equitable for landlords to receive tax credits while their tenants pay for a service that has almost always been included with rent; what people will do with things like pellet bags or dozens of disposable diapers or any of the hundred other items that can’t be recycled but will cost who knows how much to dispose of. A poorly planned system with no regard for the people who will be negatively affected the most. And, yeah…I’ve heard all the arguments that this isn’t being rushed; that hundreds of hours have been put into the implementation of this program, blah, blah, blah. If that’s the case you would think they would have been able to come up with some solutions to the above mentioned problems before putting this ” money saving” program in place.
I agree
PAYT is going to hit me in the wallet. The additional $100-$150 cost I’ll pay per year wipes out any annual COLA increase from SS and more besides. It will mean getting someone to go purchase the bags for me wherever they’re vended. I’ll do it, because the Montpeculiar folks say I must. However, there are many people who won’t. Get ready to see trash all over the place and smell the burning garbage in the morning.
And for those of us who live
And for those of us who live in small apartments there is no place to put any sort of compost container. I recycle but have to keep my recycling containers in my hall due to lack of kitchen space. My landlord’s constantly complaining about the containers being in the hall – even though they are out of the way and not blocking any exit. It’s an unrealistic plan to force on elderly and low income tenants without some financial help. I wonder if the PAYT folks have a plan for picking up all the discarded bags of trash that will most likely be occurring.
The statewide picture
If you missed this in today’s reformer, here is a link to Deb Markowitz’s review of where we are going statewide – and where we have come from regarding solid waste:
http://www.reformer.com/opinion/ci_27831762/markowitz:-universal-recycling-an-opportunity-for-vermont