Jump to main content.


Container Options

Other Topics

Communities implementing pay-as-you-throw must select the type and size of trash container they will use. Many communities distribute distinctively marked cans or bags. Others use stickers or tags, which residents affix to the bags or cans they set out for collection.

For communities planning a pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) program, choices about containers and rate structures go hand in hand. In some cases, container type will dictate the rate structure local officials use. In other cases, a community may favor a rate structure that lends itself to a certain type of container.

A PAYT program can be designed around any one of the container options described below. Each system has its advantages and disadvantages related to such issues as offering a system that residents view as equitable, creating as direct an economic incentive for waste reduction as possible, and assuring revenue stability for the solid waste agency.

Variable cans

Under this system, the municipality offers households a set of standard, graduated can sizes. These sizes range from approximately 10 to 90 gallons in capacity, although cans in the 30- to 60-gallon range are the most common. Typically, these systems operate on a subscription basis, under which residents choose in advance the size of the can they wish to use (often called the subscription or service level). Other communities ask collection crews to record the number of cans left out. Bills based on service level or number of cans set out are then sent to households, usually monthly or quarterly.

Advantages:

Disadvantages:

Top of Page

Prepaid bags

Photo of trash containers This system uses colored (or otherwise distinctively marked) standard-sized trash bags, usually 20 to 30 gallons in capacity. Residents purchase the bags from the solid waste agency through outlets such as municipal offices or retail stores. Municipalities include in the cost of the bag all or some of their waste collection and disposal costs. Collection crews are instructed to pick up only trash that is placed in the bags.

Advantages:

Disadvantages:

Top of Page

Prepaid tags or stickers

Tags or stickers are designed to be used in tandem with different types of containers. Under this system, residents purchase tags or stickers from the solid waste agency through municipal offices or retail stores and attach them to their own trash bags or cans. The tag or sticker specifies the size of the container it covers. As with bag systems, municipalities include in the cost of the tag or sticker all or some of their waste collection and disposal costs. Collection crews pick up only those bags or cans that have the appropriate tags or stickers attached to them.

Advantages:

Disadvantages:

Choosing the right container type will take careful consideration. Communities don't have to be locked into one type of system if they plan for the possibility of change. Some communities conduct a pilot program in one part of the municipality before fully implementing PAYT. In this way, they can work out difficulties early in the process, when modifications are still relatively easy.

Top of Page

Additional resources

For help making a decision about which container to use, go to the worksheet on container options (PDF) (21 pp, 331K, about PDF) (Worksheet 4 in the set of seven worksheets) in the Pay-As-You-Throw Tool Kit. This worksheet reviews the advantages and disadvantages of each container and offers a step-by-step process to help you select the most appropriate system for your community.

For answers to questions about containers and how they are used in a PAYT program, visit container options in the Frequent Questions section of this Web site.

Top of Page


Local Navigation




Jump to main content.