The First Year of Pay-as-You- Throw in Plymouth Mass. John Craig, WasteZero Jonathan Beder, Plymouth Public Works Director Oct. 7, 2014
Jun 14, 2015
The First Year of Pay-as-You-Throwin Plymouth Mass.
John Craig, WasteZeroJonathan Beder, Plymouth Public Works Director
Oct. 7, 2014
Copyright © 2014 WasteZero2
John CraigDirector of Municipal PartnershipsWasteZero
Founded in 1991Offices in Massachusetts, Maine, and North CarolinaFocused on delivering best-in-class municipal waste reduction programs (100% customer retention rate for programs we design and manage)Work with approximately 800 municipalities and countless private customers across 41 statesCertified as a B Corp—meets rigorousstandards of social and environmentalperformanceCommitted to creating American jobs
About WasteZero
Copyright © 2014 WasteZero3
An Incentive to Waste?Solid waste is the only utility residents do not pay for based on actual use.
Electricity Gas
WaterTrash
Metered Unmetered
The fact that garbage is an unmetered utility leads toavoidable waste of financial and environmental resources.
Copyright © 2014 WasteZero4
Pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) systems are an alternative to the traditional MSW payment model. These systems share one very basic concept: customers who put out more waste for collection pay more than those who put out less.
There are several benefits to PAYT policies:
Economic incentives for residents to reduce waste and increase diversion
Reduced solid waste collection and disposal costs
Positive environmental impact from decreased waste and increased recycling
Landfill life significantly extended
Why Pay-as-You-Throw?
Copyright © 2014 WasteZero5
0
250
500
750
1000
12501,100 lbs.
900 lbs.
500 lbs.or less
Annual Pounds per Capita of US Household Solid Waste Disposed
WasteZero Trash Metering™ Results
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1Assuming municipality has no managed waste reduction program at inception.
Trash tonnage drops to 50% of national average and sometimes even lower. Bills for tipping fees plummet.
Within 90 days: Long Term (Years 2-10):
• Tonnage can be reduced by up to 60%1.• Tipping fees continue to decline and
recycling revenues rise accordingly.• Residents become increasingly satisfied.
Recycling tonnage often doubles or even triples. Revenue from recycled material increases.
Immediate and Long-Term Results
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WasteZero can provide a range of program services and community support to help municipal leaders with their waste reduction program, both during the program’s launch and on an ongoing basis.
Supplements the website, particularly for residents without Internet access
Toll-Free Number
Informs residents of the program’s launch and provides vital information
Launch Announcements
Provides critical, program-related information to residents
Program Website
Prepares officials to communicate effectively and consistently with media
Media Briefing Package
Explains the program and provides recycling and waste reduction tips
Educational Materials
Program Management
Provides the municipality with a main point of contact from WasteZero
Stocks municipal bags in local retail stores for convenient residential purchase
Retail Store Distribution™
Provides logistics and full accounting to manage the inventory of bags
Accounting and Financial Reporting
Manufactures highest quality, drawstring bags with custom imprinting and packaging
Custom Bags and Packaging
Helps officials communicate and celebrate the program’s successes
Progress Reports and Case Studies
Program Services Community Support
WasteZero Trash Metering™
Implementation and Management Support
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Pay-as-you-throwbags purchased
at local retail storesConvenient
2
Solid waste funding shifts from flat fee to variable rate (payment per bag)
Fair
1
Pay-as-you-throw bags used for disposal (in city’s existing
collection system—automated carts, barrels, or
bags at curb)
Easy
3
Waste decreasesand recycling increases Effective
4
Resident Perspective
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In a recent survey of almost 1,000 PAYT participants from 10 communities, significant majorities said they are satisfied with PAYT, see it as fair and easy to take part in, and believe it is effective.
• Favorability79% have either a very or somewhat favorable opinion of PAYT, with an outright majority (52%) having a very favorable opinion.
• FairnessMore than two-thirds—68%—see the program as fair.
• Ease of Participation74% think it is not difficult to take part in PAYT.
• Effectiveness89% said PAYT is performing better than or as well as they expected.
• Minimal Political Impact77% said they are either more likely to vote for leaders who brought in PAYT or that it does not make a difference in their vote.
Strong Support for Pay-as-You-Throw
Copyright © 2014 WasteZero10
Jonathan BederDirector of Public WorksTown of Plymouth
Town of Plymouth Solid Waste Program:
Automated curbside collection with single-stream recycling
One transfer station
Pay-as-you-throw with orange bags mandatory for both curbside and dropoff
About Plymouth’s Solid Waste Program
Copyright © 2014 WasteZero11
In late 2012 and early 2013, a number of issues converged to lead the town of Plymouth to consider moving to pay-as-you-throw:
Expiration of county lease at South Street transfer station
Capping of South Street transfer station
Upcoming expiration of SEMASS contract, with tipping fees expected to triple
Low recycling and high disposal rates in residential population
Declining sticker sales
Changes in future disposal markets
Increases in traffic and disposal tonnage at Manomet and Cedarville transfer stations with the closure of South Street
Background
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To address the transfer station issues, impending tipping fee increases, and suboptimal residential disposal patterns, the town adopted a pay-as-you-throw program that began on July 1, 2013:
July 1, 2013:
— Closed South Street and Cedarville transfer stations and consolidated transfer station operations at Manomet
— Began requiring all transfer station customers to use orange Plymouth pay-as-you-throw bags for disposal (recycling remained free)
Jan. 1, 2014:
— Added option of automated curbside collection and single-stream recycling collection with pay-as-you-throw
This unique program was the preferred option of residents, for its convenience and improved service, and the town, for its ability to allow us to
control costs.
Plan of Action
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In the first year of PAYT, Plymouth met its solid waste reduction targets, cutting MSW tonnage by 44%—from 1.14 tons per household in FY13 to .64 tons in FY14.
Reduced Solid Waste Tonnage
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The recycling rate in Plymouth nearly doubled in the first year of PAYT.
Reduced Solid Waste Tonnage
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In its first year, pay-as-you-throw has had a significant positive impact on Plymouth’s municipal finances.
These savings will be magnified once Plymouth’s tipping fee nearlytriples—from $22.53 per ton now to $65 per ton after Jan. 1, 2015.
Total disposal savings: $126,653
Net financial impact:
$102,922
Recycling losses:
$23,371
2
1
3
Financial Savings
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Greenhouse Gas Reduction From PAYT
Equivalent to:
Emissions from1,700passenger vehicles
orReducing gasoline consumption by992,000 gallons
8,900 tons MTCO2e
Reduction in Energy Use From PAYT
Equivalent to:
Powering660residences
orInstalling9,100 rooftop solar panel arrays
74,000MMBTUs
Additional environmental benefits result from fewer transfer station trips(due to consolidation) and compressed natural gas collection trucks.
Source: US Environmental Protection Agency WARM model
Environmental Benefits
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With a successful first year of PAYT in the books, the town is considering the following steps to continue optimizing the program’s operations and results:
Food waste diversion
Anaerobic digestion
Continued improvements in curbside collection service
Next Steps and Questions