South Windsor May Trash 'Pay-As-You-Throw' Program

SOUTH WINDSOR, CT - The town council is considering education alternatives after a negative public reaction to adopting a state-sponsored "pay-as-you-throw" waste collection program. The Journal-Inquirer reported that some council members said that adopting education measures about waste and recycling could be a preferable alternative to charging residents for each trash bag they throw away.

Additionally, the council discussed banning single-use plastic bags, a measure also being considered at the state level.

Under the proposal from SMART - Save Money and Reduce Trash - a program from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), residents would be charged about $2 to throw away each bag of trash.

The program is intended to encourage residents to dispose of less trash by consuming less, recycling more and donating items they are no longer using. However, some residents are saying that they already pay enough in property taxes and oppose the program, the Courant reported.

South Windsor is one of 11 towns across the state considering the SMART program. The organization's website notes that 7,000 communities across the country are using the program and that it charges consumers "in the same way that they are charged for electricity, gas, and other utilities."

The DEEP estimates that those in this pricing scheme may reduce their trash disposal rate by more than 50 percent, from an average of 1,124 lbs. annually to 400-600 lbs. annually.

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