A Listing of Pay-As-You-Throw News and Events
                                                                                         United States
                                                                                         Environmental Protection
                                                                                         Agency
                                                                                                   Fall 2003
EPA and  PAYT  Celebrate

     The origins of pay-as-you-throw
     (PAYT) programs stretch back to
     the 1920s, a fact that may make
a mere 10-year PAYT anniversary
seem almost insignificant. Yet, in the
10 years that have elapsed since
1993—the first year of EPA's
involvement with PAYT—the pop-
ularity of rate-based systems for
waste  disposal has grown at the
highest rate in its nearly 80-year
history, and shows no signs of
slowing down. Now, EPA's
PAYT program is celebrating 10
years of increasing success. Since
the beginning of EPA's involve-
ment, PAYT has expanded rapidly
—from 1,800 communities in
1980 to more than 6,000 today,
with more and more communities adopting PAYT every year.

In 1993, EPA acted on a vision to expand on the efforts of
progressive communities throughout the country that had
implemented rate-based models for waste disposal to encour-
age source reduction and increase recycling rates. Since then,
in an effort to serve, inform, and encourage communities
                                                                         What's Inside
                                                                         * New PAYT Program in Massachusetts
                                                                         • Call for News
                        Years of Growth and Success

                                  considering PAYT programs, EPA has
                                  provided an ever-increasing menu of
                                   resources, information, workshops, and
                                    technical assistance that has  expanded
                                     PAYT s profile both nationally and
                                     internationally, and guided numerous
                                      communities to PAYT success.

                                       With a decade of experience and
                                        results under its belt, EPA's PAYT
                                        initiative is ready for the chal-
                                         lenges of the next 10 years.
                                          Foremost among these chal-
                                          lenges is the implementation of
                                          PAYT in America's big cities.

                                          Urban centers face several
                                         unique challenges compared to
                                        small- and medium-sized commu-
                                        nities. Large cities feature a higher
                 proportion of high-volume, multi-family housing with collec-
                 tive waste disposal systems, rendering it difficult to determine
                 the amount of waste each household disposes of, a critical
                 data point in PAYT implementation. Additionally, the health
                 hazards posed by not collecting trash due to nonpayment in a
                                                    Continued on page 2
  Online  PAYT  Materials—Plentiful  and  Practical!
      From Indonesia to Argentina,
      countries all over the world are
      beginning to experiment with var-
  ious forms of PAYT and are utilizing
  the valuable and easy-to-follow
  resources offered by EPA. And how are
  they obtaining PAYT information?
  Online, of course! That's why EPA has
  decided to focus on making all PAYT
materials available in an online-only
format, including the PAYT Bulletin,
beginning in 2004. Hard copies of
select tools and resources are still avail-
able free of charge for interested par-
ties, however EPA will transition its
material ordering process from its tele-
phone hotline to its Web site
. This comprehen-
sive online transition will save energy,
trees, and money, and make PAYT
materials more accessible.

A Wealth of Resources

The vast array of online PAYT materi-
als is designed to help guide municipal-
ities through every step of a PAYT

                Continued on page 3
    Recycled/Recyclable- Printed on Vegetable Oil Based Inks on 100% (Minimum 50% Postconsumer) Recycled Paper.

-------
                                 Pay-As-You-Throw  Goes ONLINE
                                 To save trees, energy, and money, the PAYT Bulletin witt be published
                                 ONLINE only, beginning in 2004.
                                 If you would like to continue receiving the Bulletin in its online format, please
                                 send an email to  with your name, affiliation, address, and email
                                 address. We will include you in our electronic address book.
 SPREAD    the Word!

 Now that you are aware of the economic, environmental,
 and equity benefits of PAYT, spread the word to your
 neighbors and peers! Thanks to those communities who
 led by example in the past, more and more communities
 are embracing PAYT each day. Be a leader and an advo-
 cate in yoor regional area or state by recommending
 names of coileagnes who might be interested in learn-
 ing more about RMTF. We'll add them to our mailing list
 to receive the free PAYT Bulletin.

 Please send us an email at  with the rec-
 ommended name(s}, afi3iation/community, tide, and
 email address, as well as (optional) mailing address and
 phone number. Please let us know who you are too! The
 more communities that initiate PAYT, the more waste is
 reduced, the more energy and resources are saved, the
 more pollution is prevented, including greenhouse gases.
 As the old saying goes, "Think globally, act locaHy.**
We  Want to  Promote  YOU!

EPA would like to promote YOU and your PAYT successes
and experiences.

We are interested in information on new programs, program
expansions, lessons learned, challenges overcome, advice,
changes, trends, new documents or reports, community
reactions, or any other aspect of your PAYT experiences that
could be useful to others.

Please send us an email at  with your
name, affiliation/community, address, phone number, email
address, and a brief synopsis of your news. We will contact
you for more information and include you in our online
Bulletin and/or other
informational materials
about PAYT. One of the
benefits of being part of
a progressive, conserva-
tion-minded municipal
program is the recog-
nition you receive.
Don't pass up this
opportunity!
YOUR MM HM
9S-Q "ON JJWU3d
     Vd3
iivn ssvno-isuid
                                                                                    ;AEcl/Ao6 -eds -
                                                                                        SOOS
                                                                                OOS$ OSD
                                                                                        ssauisng

                                                                                   09W3 00 'uoi6uiqsi2M
                        'MN '
                                 (M90S9)
                     AoueSv Lopeiojd iBiuaLLJUOMig 'S
                                        VdE'cv

-------