Pay-As-You-Throw Trash Disposal

Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) programs (also known as unit-based pricing, variable-rate pricing, or pay per bag) provide a direct economic incentive for residents to reduce the amount of waste they generate because households are only charged for the amount of waste they throw away -- in the same way that they are charged for electricity, gas, and other utilities.

PAYT programs in New Hampshire work on a per container basis: households pay for each bag of waste they generate. In all but one program, residents can recycle for free! As a result, residents are motivated to not only increase the amount they recycle, but also think about ways to generate less waste in the first place.

For community residents, one of the most important advantages of PAYT may be the fairness and greater control over costs that it offers. Under PAYT, everyone pays only for what they throw away and, consequently, they are indirectly rewarded for recycling.

To help communities decide whether PAYT is right for them, the NH Governor's Recycling Program has received funding from the US Environmental Protection Agency - New England to conduct hands-on workshops and to provide technical assistance and peer matching.

Nation-wide, municipalities that have adopted PAYT programs have reported a 10 percent or more reduction in solid waste generation. This leads to less frequent pick-ups of municipal solid waste and, in most cases, increased participation rates in recycling programs. Listed below are the 32 New Hampshire municipalities with PAYT programs.