PAY-AS-YOU-THROW FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
Note: Town of Wayland Fiscal Year runs July 1 through June 30. Therefore, the FY2010 fees BECOME EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2009
What are the current Transfer Station use fees?
|
Fee Type
|
FY2009
|
FY2010
(7/1/ 2009)
|
|
Sticker fee
|
$320.00
|
$155.00*
|
|
Additional vehicle/trailer
|
$ 40.00
|
$ 40.00
|
|
Senior sticker fee
|
$195.00
|
$155.00**
|
|
Recycling-only sticker
|
$ 25.00
|
$ 25.00
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 Pack – Small Bags (14 gal)
|
|
$ 5.00
|
|
5 Pack – Large Bags (30 gal)
|
|
$ 8.75
|
|
One-trip disposal permit fee
|
$ 40.00
|
$ 40.00
|
*includes 2- 5-packs of small bags ($10 value)
**includes 4- 5-packs of small bags ($20 value)
What are the regular hours of operation at the Transfer Station?
The Transfer Station is open on Tuesday and Thursday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm and Saturdays from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm. In response to citizen input, we are exploring an adjustment in the starting time back to 7:00 AM on Thursdays starting July 2nd to accomodate those that had previously enjoyed teh early weekday drop-off option.
How do holidays affect the landfill hours of operation?
When a holiday is celebrated on a Monday, the Transfer Station is open on a regular Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday schedule. If a holiday falls on a Friday, the Transfer Station hours are unchanged. When holidays such as the Fourth of July fall on a Tuesday or Thursday, the Transfer Station is closed the day of the holiday and is open the following day. If the holiday is celebrated on a Saturday, the Transfer Station is closed and no make-up time is given.
When a holiday is celebrated on a Monday, the Transfer Station is open on a regular Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday schedule. If a holiday falls on a Friday, the Transfer Station hours are unchanged. When holidays such as the Fourth of July fall on a Tuesday or Thursday, the Transfer Station is closed the day of the holiday and is open the following day. If the holiday is celebrated on a Saturday, the Transfer Station is closed and no make-up time is given.
Q: What is Pay-As-You-Throw?
A: ‘Pay-As-You-Throw’ is a variable-rate system that encourages households to recycle more and generate less trash. The cost savings are then passed on to the households as trash disposal costs are then distributed more equitably. Simply put, Pay-As-You-Throw is a system by which you pay for the trash you discard. The core idea of Pay-As-You-Throw is that when you recycle more, and discard less trash, you pay less.
More Information:US EPA has a dedicated site on Pay As You Throw
State DEP has PAYT information, focused on the practical benefits and logistics of setting up PAYT systems:
Here’s a list of MA towns using PAYT, with contact names and numbers:
The ‘Reason Foundation’ has an extensive independent study of Pay As You Throw:
Q: How does PAYT work?
A: Under PAYT, the hauling and disposal cost, the variable cost, will be covered by the special Town of Wayland trash bag revenue. The fixed operating costs, payroll and other expenses, will be predominately covered by the sticker fee. The more we recycle, the less we have to spend on hauling and disposal.
Q: How will PAYT work in Wayland?
A: Users of the Transfer Station will be required to dispose of their regular household trash in special Town of Wayland trash bags. There will be two bag sizes available; a 14 gallon bag and a 30 gallon bag. A 5-pack of 14 gallon bags will cost $5.00 and a 5-pack of 30-gallon bags will cost $8.75. There will be no sales tax on the bags. The bags will be available at various retailers in the area. A list of stores selling the bags will be made available soon.
Q: Is this a new idea?
A: No. Over 100 Massachusetts communities have already adopted a PAYT program. They work well, and they are spreading fast. Our neighbor, Natick, has had a successful program in place since 2003. Sudbury, Maynard and Concord, to name a few, all operate under a PAYT system. Over 6000 communities nationwide have adopted a PAYT program.
Q: Are there any additional charges for recycling?
A: Since a goal of PAYT is to increase recycling, there will be no additional charge for recycling, over and above the sticker fee. In fact, recycling revenue will go towards offsetting sticker fees for the following year.
Q: What about people who currently use barrels instead of trash bags?
A: All trash must be in the Wayland PAYT bags. You may place the filled PAYT bags in a barrel to protect them from wildlife. Loose trash in a barrel will not be allowed to dump at the Transfer Station.
Q: What if I don’t have the proper bag?
A: You will not be able to dispose of your trash at the Transfer Station unless it is in a Town of Wayland PAYT bag.
Q: Will there be a senior benefit?
A: Yes. Pricing of the bags and sticker fees will be the same for all users, but seniors will receive two additional 5-packs of small bags (valued at $10) at sign-up.
Q: How many PAYT bags will we be able to dispose of each week?
A: There will not be a limit on how many PAYT bags you bring to the Transfer Station each week for disposal. The PAYT bag program is designed to offset the cost of the trash disposal, so each taxpayer controls how much they spend for their own trash disposal.
Q: When will the program start?
A: The PAYT program will start on July 1, 2009.
Q: What’s the environmental benefit?
A: Experience has shown that total trash volumes drop quickly, significantly, and sustainably with PAYT systems. That means less environmental damage caused by trash disposal, trash collection, and the production of goods in the first place.
Households react to PAYT by using less packaging, reusing grocery bags, and composting and recycling more. More recycling reduces the need for "virgin" resources extracted from forests, oil reserves and mines, so we use less energy, reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and other air and water pollutants, and conserve natural resources.
More on environmental benefits at: http://www.nerc.org/topic_areas/climate_change.html
Q: What’s the financial benefit to households?
Households now have control of their disposal costs, instead of being forced to subsidize households that choose to throw out more trash. Households can adjust their trash disposal costs simply by creating less waste: by choosing purchasing options that use less packaging, and by reusing, recycling or composting what they might otherwise throw out.
Q. Will I pay less with PAYT or with a fixed-price system?
A. That depends on how much trash you throw out. In the first year, a typical household reduces their trash by about 20%. Senior households throwing away an average of one 14-gallon bag per week will pay less than the prior fixed-price sticker fee. In addition, the sticker fees have been positioned to allow standard users the opportunity to pay significantly less than under the prior fixed-price sticker system.
PAYT users in other towns have gotten better over time at recycling more, putting more trash in each bag, composting, re-using more, and buying items with less packaging, which has lowered their costs.
Q. Doesn’t it take a lot of time, money and hassle for the town to coordinate the bag distribution and funds collection?
A. No. Wayland will work with a state-approved bag vendor. The vendor delivers the bags to local retail stores. Some of the money from the bag sales goes to the bag vendor, and the rest goes to the town.
The bag vendor takes care of all the logistics of manufacturing and delivering the bags to stores, as well as collecting, accounting and delivering the funds to the Town. Households can buy the extra bags whenever it is convenient for them. The Town spends no extra time or money in managing the bag purchase and distribution or in collecting funds.
