According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) programs (also known as the unit-based or variable rate pricing) provide a direct economic incentive for residents to reduce waste. Under Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT), households are charged for waste collection based on the amount of waste they throw away, in the same way they are charged for electricity, gas, or other utilities. These programs are designed to encourage residents to throw away less and recycle more.

Today, there are about 7,000 Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) programs operating in the U.S. and they come in all shapes and sizes, with many different ways to meter the waste, numerous methods of implementing the programs, and an array of options for pricing the programs and sharing the benefits within the community.

According to the EPA, Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) programs typically reduce solid waste by about 17-23%. Unfortunately, most of those Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) programs are not run optimally. In our experience, an optimally-run program must have these critical success factors:

For residents, it must

• Be easy to understand
• Be convenient and user-friendly
• Be perceived as fair
• Continuously reinforce the right behaviors
• Use high-quality materials (such as top-quality municipal waste bags) and support tools.

For municipal leaders, it must

• Be quickly implemented
• Be straightforward to manage
• Provide immediate and measurable results
• Remain financially viable over the long term
• Support the community's environmental and economical objectives

WasteZero Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) programs incorporate all of these critical success factors.