How Should You Pay For Your Trash?

Tweet

If you have more trash than can fit in a single can, should you pay extra to get rid of it? You would if you lived in Austin, Tex., one of thousands of communities nationwide that has switched to a "Pay As You Throw" (PAYT) system. Traditionally, households paid a set fee for trash disposal. But 25% of Americans now pay for trash collection based on how much they use it, the way most of us pay for water and electricity. Advocates of PAYT cite studies that show it encourages recycling and reduces the waste in landfills by up to 17%. Opponents argue that it penalizes those on fixed incomes and that it can lead to illegal garbage dumping. They also point out that store packaging accounts for a lot of consumer waste and say it's unfair to make households foot the bill to dispose of it. So how should we foot the bill for garbage? Set fee or by the bag?