Garbage plugs holes in budget
Two years ago, Malden, Mass., officials needed to address a budget shortfall or risk further cuts in municipal services and personnel. The state legislature had passed more than $1 billion in statewide program cuts, which meant some of Malden’s social services would be reduced. City leaders asked all departments to tighten their belts, reduce energy use, curb gasoline consumption for vehicles and search for other ways to save money.
To save money in the solid waste department, Malden started a citywide pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) program in October 2008, which required residents to purchase official municipal trash bags ($2 for a large bag and $1 for a smaller bag) at local retailers and dispose of their waste only in those bags or in recycling bins. The city contracted with Murrells Inlet, S.C.-based WasteZero to manufacture, distribute and store the trash bags, handle accounting, and coordinate education and public outreach during program start-up.
More than one year later, Malden officials report that the program has reduced waste and increased recycling beyond their expectations. Before PAYT, trash tonnage in Malden averaged 21,000 tons annually. Since the program started, the tonnage has been cut in half, to about 10,000 tons. The city is saving more than $800,000 annually in disposal fees to its waste-to-energy incinerator in Haverhill, which is run by Fairfield, N.J.-based Covanta Energy. Bag sales, meanwhile, generated $1.7 million for the city in the program’s first year. The city also increased its recycling rate to 50 percent. “[As a result of PAYT, there are] less bags on the curb and more items in the recycling [bins],” says Malden Mayor Richard Howard.
Project: Pay-as-you-throw policy
Jurisdiction: Malden, Mass.
Agency: Mayor’s Office and Department of Public Works
Vendor: Murrells Inlet, S.C.-based WasteZero
Cost: covered by bag fees ($2 for each large bag, $1 for small bags)