On March 4 the Greenwich Conservation Commission, Waste Free Greenwich, GRAB, and CT DEEP will hold a lecture at Central Middle School titled, “Is Greenwich top of the garbage pile in global waste crisis: Pay-As-You-Throw Program Explained.”
The event runs from 7:00 – 8:30 pm.
Speakers will include Kristen Brown, of WasteZero Inc, a consultant for the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, and Julie DesChamps of GRAB & Waste Free Greenwich.
Ms. Brown of Waste Zero will present the details and expected outcomes of the PAYT program.
The Conservation Commission says garbage collection and disposal should be considered a utility, and that the March 4 lecture will provide residents with an outlook on the trash future and how the Town and its partners seek opportunities to lessen the burden.
“Pay As You Throw is a trash program to help motivate people’s actions through the use of special garbage bags, which, like a utility, one only pays for what one uses,” the Conservation Commission said in a release. “The small, upfront cost of the bags has proven highly successful in reducing trash by 40-60% among the 550 northeast communities that use this system.”
If approved, the PAYT program would begin on Oct 1, 2020.
The price of the bags – $2.00 for 33 gallon and $1.25 for 13 gallons – is based on the tip fees the town pays to bring Municipal Solid Waste from Holly Hill to an incinerator.
Both recycling and MSW disposal costs are rising steeply, though there is still some market for recycling. It costs $65 a ton to remove recycling, versus $93 a ton for trash removal.
If approved, PAYT would have a grace period for fines from Oct 1 to Jan 1, 2021. After Jan 1, 2021 fines would be $100 for first violation, $250 for second, and $1,000 thereafter.
Central Middle School is located at 9 Indian Rock Lane.
See also:
Diving Into Pay As You Throw Proposal for Municipal Solid Waste in Greenwich