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.
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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!
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