Pay as you throw?

[Dreepa]

Ok I would like to hear some points (pro or con) on whether you think pay as you throw trash is a good idea.

My town has a dump.  It is 'free' for residents (we pay with taxes).  Recycling is encouraged but not mandatory.

Up for debate is whether we should switch to 'Pay as you throw'.

All recycleables would be free.  The rest would be $X per bag.  Theortically this would reduce the budget by the amount of the money that formally went into dump's budget. And the dump would be revenue neutral or any 'profit' would be returned to the town.

Pros? Cons?

[Pat McCotter]

If PAYT is implemented is there an alternative or is participation mandatory? Can you contract with a private hauler?

[Lloyd Danforth]

I'm thinking there are all kinds of ways you can reduce your need to bring stuff, you have to pay for to the dump and no way you can lessen your taxes the way things are now.
The important thing is that you see some actual tax relief with the new system.

[Dreepa]

If PAYT is implemented is there an alternative or is participation mandatory? Can you contract with a private hauler?

Yes.
There are 3 haulers in town.
Right now I have a hauler pick mine up.  If you take it to the dump it is free.
I take my recycling to the dump once a month because my hauler does not do recycling.

[Tunga]

Pay as you throw = bad idea.

Each time Tunga goes into the woods and discovers another trash pile left by poor folks that can't afford tipping fees he thinks there has to be a better way.

[Fluff and Stuff]

Pros? Cons?

Both seem bad but in different ways.  It sounds like they are gonna reduce services and increase taxes next year.  That's pretty common.  But, because of who you are, I would push for pay as you throw if you can get the people that spend the money to sign their name to or say in a recorder that taxes will be reduced because of this.  When you cannot get that done, you should be against it.  Make sure that you bring how people said this would help with costs but it never did during the next elections.

[aries]

Not unless its a private dump.

PAYT is taxing you twice to pay for it, once to pay for the facility, then again at the gate.

My town almost went to a transfer station and started charging for bags, but it got shot down because there are so many motels in town, and it is impossible for us to recycle.

[Dreepa]

I would push for pay as you throw if you can get the people that spend the money to sign their name to or say in a recorder that taxes will be reduced because of this.  When you cannot get that done, you should be against it.  Make sure that you bring how people said this would help with costs but it never did during the next elections.

Yeah I said.  Ok so you will lower taxes by $X amount and they kinda looked at me.

This will be interesting.

[Lloyd Danforth]

How can they possibly sell it without lowering taxes X amount?

Hi, we make your crap dissapear for your present taxes, or, you make you crap dissapear at your present taxes plus $X.

[Dreepa]

My fear is that the 'savings' will just be swallowed into some other program.

[KBCraig]

My fear is that the 'savings' will just be swallowed into some other program.

Or be transferred to picking up trash that people dump in the woods instead of at the station.

[DC]

We have competing trash pick up ( private companies) that you pay them.  If you want to pay per bag then you carry it up there and they charge charge $2 per bag . We don't have a dump in our town though so they have to carry it to the next towns dump. We don't have recycling. The school did a recycling thing to show the students how it worked and someone dumped their construction trash in it and they canceled it. 

[DC]

My fear is that the 'savings' will just be swallowed into some other program.

Or be transferred to picking up trash that people dump in the woods instead of at the station.

That would be easy have the people caught dumping trash on other people property pick up all the trash and have them pay to dump it also. I don't have any sympathy fror those people.

[Pat McCotter]

Drove back to the church, had a thanksgiving
dinner that couldn't be beat, went to sleep and didn't get up until the
next morning, when we got a phone call from officer Obie.  He said, "Kid,
we found your name on an envelope at the bottom of a half a ton of
garbage, and just wanted to know if you had any information about it." And
I said, "Yes, sir, Officer Obie, I cannot tell a lie, I put that envelope
under that garbage."

[Lloyd Danforth]

Well....who would close a dump on Thanksgiving?