PROGRAM BACKGROUND

Natick, MA PAYT Success Story  - Waste Reduction AND Operational Savings

In 2003, the Town of Natick adopted a bag-based pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) program and has seen significant reductions in municipal solid waste, over 38%! Residential trash is only accepted when residents place it in Approved Natick Blue Trash Bag for curbside collection.

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Why PAYT? For many very good reasons.

• Residents can save money. With PAYT, residents pay only for the garbage they throw away—not for their neighbors’ trash too!

• Natick saves. If there’s less trash generated, Natick pays less to manage it. These savings—which can be substantial—can be rerouted back into the community. Since implementation, Natick has saved over $230,000 in trash disposal fees.

• The environment is better preserved: When residents throw away less, recycle more, and “lighten the load” in any number of other ways, landfills last longer, greenhouse gas emissions are reduced, millions of BTUs of energy are saved, and natural resources last longer. The recycling rate has increased by 14% since PAYT was implemented.

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Remember, by recycling more you’ll produce less trash, which means you’ll use fewer trash bags. The PAYT program lets you take control of your waste disposal costs!

The official Natick PAYT trash bags are conveniently available at retail outlets throughout Natick and are available in 2 sizes, 15-gallon bags and 33-gallon bags.

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