While the rate of increase is slowing, individuals in this country are continuing to generate more waste each year and, as a result, waste management is growing more difficult. While fewer than 200 programs were in existence as recently as the mid-1980s, today nearly 2,000 communities across the country are using this approach to better manage solid waste. Under PAYT, households are charged for waste collection based on the amount of waste they throw away in the same way that they are charged for electricity, gas, and other utilities. As a result, residents are motivated not only to recycle more, but also to think about ways to generate less waste in the first place. PAYT can be structured in several different ways.
Some communities charge residents based on the volume of waste they generate.
Under volume-based programs, residents pay for each bag or can they fill up. Communities also can require that residents purchase tags or stickers and affix them to their own containers. Other communities bill residents based on the weight of their trash although, because of the cost of the equipment needed to weigh the waste and record the amount for billing purposes, weight-based programs are far less common. However they are structured, all such programs share important benefits for both communities and their residents. First, households have more control over their solid waste management costs.