
Sanford, ME
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The Power of PAYT – Worth Coming Back To
In July 2010, the City of Sanford, ME instituted a bag-based pay-asyou-throw (PAYT) program. Immediately, trash volume dropped by half. Four months later, the town repealed the program with predictable results: The amount of trash shot up, almost back to where it started. In September, 2013, Sanford reinstated PAYT, with impressive results.
By the Numbers
- Population: 20,000
- Median Income/Household: $44,000
Results
- 42% reduction in municipal solid waste
- $28,000 in annual tipping fee savings
- Near-doubling of the recycling rate

