'Pay As You Throw' Garbage Collection Considered for West Hartford

WEST HARTFORD, CT - Town officials are considering adopting a "pay as you throw" garbage collection system that would charge residents based on their volume of refuse.

The Hartford Courant reports that the program, similar to ones catching on in communities around the country, would charge residents for garbage bags they bought from the town. The cost of the bags would be more expensive than regular store-bought garbage bags, but the extra cost would pay for collection.

"The government can't do it alone," West Hartford Public Works Director John Phillips told the Courant. "There has to be a greater accountability with our residents. Help me help you is almost quintessential to our argument."

Officials said more study of the program, called Save Money And Reduce Trash, or SMART, is needed, and implementation might not start for a couple of years.

Click here to read the full story on the Hartford Courant website.

Patch file photo.