How will Pay-As-You-Throw work in West Boylston? |
The only change to our trash and recycling collection, is that you must put your trash into West Boylston Green Bags instead of other plastic bags. Trash in other bags will not be collected. The trash and recycling schedule remains the same.
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When will the Pay-As-You-Throw program start? |
Pay-As-You-Throw goes into effect on Wednesday July 1, 2009.
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Where can I purchase the West Boylston Green Bags? |
West Boylston Green Bags are available for purchase in local stores. Please click here for the current list of stores that stock the West Boylston Green Bags.
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How much do the Green Bags cost? Will there be a senior discount? |
Fifteen-gallon bags cost $0.50 and Thirty-three-gallon bags cost $1.00. This bag fee is much lower than other Pay-As-You-Throw towns. There are no senior discounts at this time.
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Where will the money generated by the cost of the bags go? |
Money collected by the sale of Green Bags will go into a revolving fund that will be used to defray trash disposal costs and future bag purchases.
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What if trash is not in the proper bag? |
If your trash is not in a Green Bag, our trash contractor will place a rejection sticker on the item or non-conforming bag. The bag or item will not be collected.
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Can we put the bags in our trash barrels? |
Yes. You can continue to use your trash barrels, but put your trash into a Green Bag first. Only trash contained in a Green Bag will be picked up. You can also continue to just put your Green Bags at your curb-side without using a barrel.
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Are the bags as strong as the ones that I currently use? |
The Green Bags will be comparable to the plastic trash bags that you normally purchase at your supermarket or elsewhere. They will also contain recycled materials making them "greener."
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How much can I put in a Green Bag? |
Your Green Bag must be able to close and weigh 40 pounds or less.
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Will the recycling program change with Pay-As-You-Throw? What can be recycled? |
No, our curb-side recycling program will continue without change. Please see our page on Trash & Recycling for information on what can be recycled and the pickup schedule.
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How can I save on the number of bags that my family needs to use? |
Increase the amount that your recycle, compost kitchen waste, donate items to charity and consider choosing products with less packaging when you shop. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has information on recycling. Reducing the amount of our solid waste is good for the town and for the environment.
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Do other cities and towns have Pay-As-You-Throw programs? |
Yes! Currently, there are more than 125 municipalities in Massachusetts with Pay-As-You-Throw programs. Many of them are in our area, like Sutton, Upton, Clinton, Shrewsbury, Northborough and Worcester.
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Do I have to pay a flat fee on top of taxes for trash services? |
No. While some towns with Pay-As-You-Throw also charge households a yearly flat fee for trash services, West Boylston does not.
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Can I hire my own hauler and choose not to participate in the PAYT program? |
Yes. A resident may choose a private hauler at any time if the hauler is licensed by the Board of Health. However, there will not be a tax reduction for doing so since trash/recycling pickup is currently built into the tax base for residents. Private companies typically charge $300-$500 per year.
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How do I dispose of items that won't fit into a bag? |
Please see our Special & Bulk Disposal page for information. Many items can be disposed of in other ways for a fee. Or you may consider donating items which can help you and good causes. Try Savers in Worcester, Lutheran Social Services Office for Refugee Resettlement in Worcester, Goodwill, Salvation Army, Big Brother/Big Sister (which does pickups), church thrift shops, library sales etc. Please call ahead for times.
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Worcester runs a ReStore in Worcester. Donate your new or gently used construction materials, home improvement materials, or home furnishings.
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A box of 20 Hefty bags costs $5.49. Why am I paying $5 for 5 bags? |
The cost of the bags helps to defray the cost of trash disposal. West Boylston pays $84 for every ton of trash it disposes at the incinerator. Pay-As-You-Throw will encourage residents to reduce the amount of trash they generate.
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What are the benefits of changing to PAYT? |
Together we can expect 2,400 households to contribute about $120,000 to the community through bag fees. By recycling more & tossing less trash we can also save disposal fees. If we typically produce 2,100 tons yearly, and pay the upcoming disposal fee of $84 per ton at the incinerator, we'd pay $176,400 just for disposal every year! Using Fiscal Year 2010 disposal costs: 10% less trash
decreases our disposal fees by $17,500 20% less trash decreases our disposal fees by $35,000 30% less trash decreases our disposal fees by $52,000 Shrewsbury lowered their trash tonnage by 40% with Pay-As-You-Throw.
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