Pay-as-You-Throw in Dennis Massachusetts

Copyright © 2015 WasteZero

October 2015

Pay-as-You-Throw in Dennis


• As garbage has become more regulated and less local it has become more expensive to manage.

─ Last year SEAMASS disposal rates increased by more than 55% for the Town of Dennis.

• Fact: Garbage has changed over the years.

─ Trash used to be simpler, less toxic, cheaper and disposed of locally.

Massachusetts is facing a solid waste crisis. Thirty years ago there were more than 300 operating landfills in Massachusetts. Today, there are 16. By the end of next year, DEP expects there to be 6, and by 2020 DEP predicts little or no landfill capacity will remain. As a result, Massachusetts could be required to export an additional 1.5 million tons of trash per year, much of which is easily reusable, recyclable, or compostable.

That means that nearly half of the garbage generated in Massachusetts will need to be exported – at a significant financial and environmental cost.


• Fact: You are already paying for what you throw away.

─ Transfer station sticker fee = right to throw away a year’s worth of garbage

We don’t do it for Electricity or oil or gas………..

We don’t do it for almost any other measureable product or service

We only do it with trash because that is how it has always been done!


• Fact: The amount of trash sent to disposal by Dennis WILL go down.

• In terms of Energy Savings and GHG reduction:

A 44% reduction in solid waste will save more energy than converting all of your

municipal vehicles to Natural gas or putting solar panels on all public

buildings in Dennis


• Fact: You are already paying for what you throw away.

• With the new Pay-as-you-throw would simply be paying WHEN you throw it away, not a year in advance.

• AND Paying by the bag = everyone has more control over their own costs and it lower expenses for people who are good about recycling


• Fact: Dennis would spend far less on waste with pay-as-you-throw.

Without PAYT With PAYT

$265,000

$149,000

Projected Annual Waste Disposal Spending

$116,000


• Fact: Pay-as-you-throw is already helping other Cape towns.

BeforePAYT

WithPAYT

BrewsterWaste Tonnage

BeforePAYT

WithPAYT

SandwichWaste Tonnage

BeforePAYT

WithPAYT

WellfleetWaste Tonnage

47% 49%36%

$44,400 savedin nine months

$594,000 savedin four years

$3,000 savedin three months


• Fact: People who are good recyclers are subsidizing people who chose not to recycle.

• By recycling you are saving Dennis money

• By NOT recycling, they are costing Dennis money

• Yet…… you both pay the same amount without PAYT. Is that fair?

• Fact: All of you are subsidizing ‘Heavy Users’!

• People taking neighbors garbage/ sharing sticker

• People running cleaning or clean out business

• People disposing of their tenant’s trash

• With the bag based PAYT system, everyone pays to dispose of their own trash, and enforcement is easy.


Composition in MA (2013)

Dennis Estimated (lbs)

Cost at $68/ton

Food Waste 18.6% 1,393,512 47,379$ Paper 14.6% 1,093,832 37,190$ Textiles 5.2% 389,584 13,246$ Plastic (non-film) 5.0% 374,600 12,736$ Plastic Film 2.0% 149,840 5,095$ Metal 2.4% 179,808 6,113$ Glass 1.4% 104,888 3,566$ Total 49.2% 3,686,064 125,326$

Statewide Waste Characterization StudySEAMASS 2013 – Material received from Cities and Towns after Recycling

Another 20-25% consists of materials that can and should be diverted including Yard Waste, C&D Material, Electronics and Other

Hazardous Materials


Percentage1 Person 36%2 People 41%3 People 11%4 People 7%5 People 3%6 People 1%7 or more 0.3%

• Fact: The Average Resident in a PAYT Town throws away 8.5 pounds per week.

Households By Household SizeTown of Dennis (Source 2010 Census)


Summary Page

Status Quo ProposedTrash Burned Down↓Recycling Up↑Disposal Cost Down↓Trash Fee $145.00 $45.00Large Bag Cost $2.00Tall Kitchen Bag Cost $1.00Small Bags $0.60


• Program notes based on questions I received Saturday:

• ALL users of the transfer station will be required to purchase a sticker next year; Recycling only sticker will be @ $45

• Bags will be available at retail stores throughout Dennis and surrounding area.

• NO additional payments will be necessary at the transfer station after sticker purchase. By buying the bag, you have already paid to dispose of the trash in that bag.

• The bags are priced so that the cost of the bag will cover the cost to dispose of the trash in it. The sticker fee covers the cost of operating the Transfer Station

Environment

Pay-as-You-Throw in Dennis Massachusetts