Why do some communities in the United States charge residents on the amount of garbage they throw away?
Traditionally, residents pay for waste collection and disposal through property taxes or a fixed fee, regardless of how much or how little trash they generate. Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) programs break with tradition by treating trash services just like electricity, gas, and other utilities. Households pay a variable rate depending on the amount of garbage they throw away. More than 5,000 communities across the United States have a PAYT program in place. In most of these programs, residents are charged a fee for each bag or can of waste they generate. The less individuals throw away, the less they pay. EPA supports this approach to solid waste management for three reasons: • Environmental sustainability. Communities with programs in place have reported significant increases in recycling and reductions in waste, due primarily to the cost incentive created by PAYT. Less waste and more recycling mean that fewer natural resources need to be extracted. • Economic sustainability. PAYT is an eff
