Population:
Type of Community:
Type of Program:
Program Start Date:
The success of both
the volume-based
disposal system and
the enhanced
recycling facility has
exceeded all
pre-operational
expectations.
EPA530-F-97-007e
PAY-AS-YOU-THROW SUCCESS STORIES
South KingStOWn, Rhode Island
30,000
Suburban
Drop-off, Tags
August 1994
With pay-as-you-throw, the average family
of four has reduced its solid waste stream
to one tagged bag of waste and one bag
of recyclables per week,
Getting Started: Why Pay-As-You-Throw?
Solid waste for South Kingstown and its
regional partner Narragansett is processed
at the town's Rose Hill Regional Transfer
Station (RHRTS). Given the community's
oceanfront shoreline, the approximate year-
round population of 22,000 residents swells
to an estimated 30,000 persons in the sum-
mer months. Residents of both communities
can dispose of solid waste by either con-
tracting with a private refuse hauler or by
directly accessing the transfer station.
After facility operations began at RHRTS in
1983, the disposal cost to "direct access" resi-
dential users continued to escalate. This
increase in disposal costs was due in part to
increasing tipping fees, higher processing costs,
and abuse of a flat-rate annual vehicle pass
program, which provided unlimited disposal
with little or no incentive to recycle materials.
Because of these concerns, South Kingstown
and Narragansett initiated a volume-based tag
solid waste disposal system and a voluntary
source reduction recycling program for
RHRTS residential users.
How Does It Work?
Under the tag solid waste disposal system,
each residential user directly accessing the
transfer station is required to purchase
refuse tags ($10.00 for 10 tags) for solid
waste disposal. Residential RHRTS customers
place a tag on each garbage bag
^.^^jy^,
Town of South Kingstown, Rhode Isb
It! +)'.-'
P.O- Box 31
R| 02*afrOOJ1
July 18,'996
TOWN OF SOUTH KINGSTON
PAY-AS-YOU-THROW TE'
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(35-pound/33-gallon limit) prior to dispos-
al. Refuse tags were chosen in lieu of bags
to provide residents free choice with
regard to the size and type of refuse bag
they were accustomed to using.
Some residents continue to use trash
cans for refuse disposal. The RHRTS
operates as a solid waste enterprise
fund, and operational costs are covered
by the cost of the refuse tags.
Utilization of the recycling center by
residential RHRTS users continues to
remain a voluntary decision. Residents
who maximize their recycling efforts
can minimize tag purchases and reduce
their overall solid waste disposal costs.
RHRTS residential users with wasteful
disposal habits who choose not to
recycle must consequently purchase
additional tags.
Complementary Programs
Residential users can dispose of bulky
waste and yard waste at a rate of 5 cents
and 3.5 cents per pound, respectively.
Residents may also elect to purchase yard
waste bags at a cost of 75 cents each
(which includes the disposal fee) for dis-
posal of grass clippings and leaves.
In addition, the town constructed new
recycling disposal facilities for direct
access residential users that became
operational on August 1, 1994. The
enhanced recycling center accepts a
wide variety of materials that can be
recycled by residents at no cost, includ-
ing aluminum, steel, plastic, newspaper,
glass, and many others. Yard waste,
uncontaminated wood demolition, and
ferrous and nonferrous scrap metals are
also recycled, but are assessed a tip fee
due to associated processing costs.
Success: Saving Money and
Reducing Waste
The success of both the volume-based
disposal system and enhanced recycling
facility has exceeded all pre-operational
expectations. The capture ratio of recy-
clables from direct access residential
users has consistently reached approxi-
mately 40 percent, with levels as high
as 51 percent (not including bulky or
recyclable yard waste). Recycling cap-
ture ratios approach 60 percent if yard
waste and bulky recycled waste esti-
mates are included.
Under the PAYT program, RHRTS resi-
dential users discharged approximately
2,175 tons during fiscal year 1994-95, as
compared with 7,608 tons in fiscal year
1991-92 under the former vehicle sticker
program. The average family of four has
reduced its solid waste stream to one
tagged bag and one bag of recyclables
per week. This equates to a total yearly
refuse disposal cost of $52 per year,
which is a $40 savings from the previous
year's average cost of $92. Elderly and
single residents have reported a reduc-
tion in solid waste disposal to as low as
one refuse bag every two weeks, for a
total yearly refuse disposal cost of $26.
South Kingstown's success story was compiled by Ion R. Schock, Utilities Director,
(401) 789-9331
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