
Waterville, ME
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Using Pay-As-You-Throw to Bring Curbside Recycling
When the city of Waterville, ME began PAYT, it chose to use some of the proceeds to fund a curb-side single-stream recycling collection program that residents had been clamoring for. At the six-month mark, the program was exceeding all of its waste reduction and financial targets. At the one-year mark, the city conducted a referendum (which had been promised at the program’s launch), to determine whether to keep the program in place. Residents voted to keep the PAYT program by a 2-to-1 margin!
By the Numbers
Population: 16,000
Median Household Income: $33,000
PAYT Type: Bag-based with curbside single-stream recycling collection
Six-Month Results:
- 53% decrease in solid waste tonnage
- $78,000 in disposal savings
- 1,075 tons of solid waste diverted

