When it comes to questions about how to evaluate, design, and implement PAYT, it s the communities that have successfully adopted a program of their own that can best provide the answers. Some of the communities featured here had to develop impressive solutions to daunting challenges before their program could become a reality. They researched the issue carefully and developed a program that, it turned out, met or exceeded their expectations. However they came about, the programs described in this collection are filled with important lessons for interested community planners. Perhaps the single biggest lesson illustrated by these stories is that there is no one right way to implement PAYT just as there is no single compelling reason for communities to adopt this type of program.
Every community has a different story to tell and a different lesson to teach.
PAYT is an effective tool for communities struggling to cope with soaring MSW management costs. Well-designed programs enable communities to generate the revenues they need to cover all MSW program costs, including the costs of complementary programs such as recycling and composting. Residents benefit, too, since they finally have the opportunity to take control of their trash bills. It s environmentally sustainable. Because of the incentive it provides residents to put less waste at the curb, communities with programs in place have reported significant increases in recycling and reductions in waste.