Worth it in the long run
To the editor:
The Pay As You Throw program is an effort to reduce landfill utilization, prolong the life of the facility thus reducing taxpayer liability for more space. Although we have not completed a full year with this program it is clearly obvious for many of us that our expenses for waste disposal are “cheap”.
Prior to PAYT it cost me $280 a year for curbside service. Additionally I had to bring my recyclables to the transfer station on average twice a month. Let’s assume that the cost for those two trips was $5 each. Currently we use one small trash bag a week and one large bag a month. At current prices my trash expense now is $180 a year. I am saving not only $100 a year from previous curbside service bug I don’t have to go to the transfer station either, another $100 savings.
It may be that the folks who came up with the pricing for the PAYT were so concerned about how much they were going to charge that they shot themselves in the proverbial foot by not pricing the service adequately. From what I have read, the rationale for PAYT was to prolong the life of the landfill. We are not going, nor should we expect to halve our yearly cost for trash. The real savings are in the life of the landfill.
Some will disagree with my assumption but it is obvious that at current pricing levels we are not paying for the program.
• Are the bag fees similar to other communities in the state?
• Are the contractor fees in line with other communities in the state?
• What efficiencies might be accomplished with a process improvement at the transfer station?
• Does the city need that truck? Think of cost of vehicle, maintenance, licensing, fuel and insurances along with a driver.
• In that the city is absorbing the cost of the “blue bag,” should the users be charged at least the cost of the bag?
I believe the initiative is worth it in the long run. We need to be fair and reasonable in how we all accomplish this goal.
Tom Deschaine
Presque Isle
