Pay-As-You-Throw in Pennsylvania

A survey of county recycling coordinators shows that 213 municipalities in Pennsylvania use Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) programs. These PAYT programs charge residents for waste removal services based on the quantity of material discarded. Some may have a set rate per bag, while other use a combination of a fixed subscription fee plus a variable fee based on service.

The benefits of PAYT programs include:

For more information:

• PAYT Technical Assistance Reports
• PAYT Community Showcase (PDF format):
  • South Middleton Township
  • Carlisle Borough
  • Perkasie Borough
  • Douglass Township
  • Elizabethtown Borough
  • Penn Township
  • Cranberry Township - innovative 3-cart system
  • Lewistown Borough
• An updated list of the 213 programs in Pennsylvania is available as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file: PAYTinPA.pdf
  (help on using PDF files)
• Variable-Rate Trash Collection and its Role in Waste Reduction
  
• EPA PAYT Resources: www.epa.gov/payt
• Copies of EPA's Pay-As-You-Throw Tool Kit, Information Package, and video are available in the Environmental Education Center on the first floor of the Rachel Carson Building.
  
• Forward questions or comments to Greg Harder, Waste Minimization and Planning, 717-787-7382, e-mail: gharder@state.pa.us