We produce too much trash in Maine. To help solve this problem, Maine communities should provide a convenient way for people to reduce, reuse, recycle and compost, and should also create an incentive for people to do so by charging a fee for each bag of household trash. This method of having to pay for what you throw away is called “Pay-As-You-Throw.”
More than 138 Maine towns already have PAYT programs, which are proving to be very successful. But NRCM believes that more communities should adopt PAYT programs to increase recycling and composting, save money for towns by avoiding high disposal fees, more equitably distribute solid waste management costs, and lessen the need for creating more disposal capacity in Maine.
Other Pay-As-You-Throw Resources
- PowerPoint presentation by the Natural Resources Council of Maine
- Payasyouthrow.org: A great national resource on PAYT
- WasteZero: This company helps towns reduce waste through trash metering and it also manufactures PAYT bags.
- “Cutting Trash in Half in Maine”: An article on PAYT from The Maine Townsman
