Other Solutions

Cities and towns have unique needs and challenges. We’ve developed solutions for many of them.

Overflow Programs

An overflow program may be a solution for a city with curbside automated collection that is not yet prepared to adopt PAYT, but would like to reduce litter and streamline collection.  Strictly speaking, overflow programs are not waste reduction programs, but they can have a waste reduction benefit if the standard cart is small (less than 64 gallons, and preferably 32 gallons).

There benefits include faster, neater collection and revenue from overflow trash.  Here’s how they work:

• Residents place trash into their standard trash cart.
• Trash that does not fit into the cart must be placed in official overflow bag(s).
• Official bags are made available for purchase at local retailers.
• Retail price is up to the City, but $2.00 to $3.00 is typical for a large (30-33 gal.) bag.
• Net revenue from bag sales normally goes to the City.

Some cities use bag-based overflow programs, while others use a tag-based approach.  In our experience, bag-based systems work better and produce better financial outcomes.  Contact us if you are interested in an overflow program, or if you would like to understand the impact of switching from a tag- or sticker-based system to a bag-based system.

Voucher Programs

Some cities and towns provide free trash and/or recycling bags for their residents.  These bags are most often handed out at the Department of Public Works / Sanitation, or delivered to residents’ doorsteps once or twice per year by the trash collection workers.  Many towns that do this tell us that the programs are popular, but that there are drawbacks:

• Distributing the bags is a costly administrative and operational burden for city workers
• Most residents don’t use all of the bags that are provided, so bags are often wasted

WasteZero has investigated these challenges first-hand, and has developed a solution for towns that give away bags.  We call it a voucher program, and it does a great job of

• Reducing the number of wasted bags
• Saving taxpayer dollars
• Increasing convenience for residents
• Reducing burdens on city staff

Voucher programs have been an effective solution for our customers across the US.  We’ve been doing them for more than 10 years, and we can take the burden off of city workers.

Uniform Bag Programs

Even without PAYT, some cities and towns require their residents to use trash bags that meet a standard size, closure, or durability specification to minimize problems such as blowing litter and rodents.  WasteZero’s infrastructure is ideally suited to give these communities the solutions they need:

• Bag manufacturing
• Retail store distribution
• Customer service and resident communication

As a leading consultant in waste reduction, WasteZero is ready to help tackle your challenges related to trash collection and disposal or recycling.

Contact Us