{"id":2658,"date":"2014-09-22T23:32:55","date_gmt":"2014-09-22T23:32:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wasteadvantagemag.com\/?p=2658"},"modified":"2014-12-04T17:46:07","modified_gmt":"2014-12-04T17:46:07","slug":"best-practices-pay-throw-planning-implementation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wasteadvantagemag.com\/best-practices-pay-throw-planning-implementation\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Practices for Pay-As-You-Throw Part 2 of 3: Planning for Implementation"},"content":{"rendered":"
Greg Peverall<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) programs can come in many different forms, but one feature of nearly all successful programs is that the municipal leaders implementing them have devoted time and effort to doing things right during the planning stage. No matter what shape a PAYT program takes\u2014bags, tags, or variable-rate carts\u2014careful, dedicated planning is a requirement for success. This article, the second in a three-part series about best practices for PAYT, addresses some of the key elements that officials need to consider as they plan their programs. We explored the different types of PAYT programs last month (国产麻豆<\/em>, July 2013), and next month we will look at how best to implement a PAYT program.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While planning for a PAYT program\u2019s implementation can involve a large number of individual activities, the process can be distilled into three primary steps: gathering data on the community\u2019s current solid waste disposal situation, designing the program to meet the community\u2019s unique goals and specific needs, and understanding the potential benefits of PAYT for the community.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Data-Gathering<\/strong> <\/p>\n Now that municipal leaders know where they are, they can set the course for where they\u2019re going. The data collected here will be used as the inputs for the next two phases of PAYT planning: program design and benefits assessment.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Program Design<\/strong> <\/p>\n The first key question in this phase is about which type of PAYT program is the best fit for the community. The previous article in this series discussed the different options for PAYT programs, as well as the pros and cons of each. Municipalities wishing to implement PAYT can choose from among cash-based programs, overflow programs, variable-rate carts, tag-based programs and bag-based programs. Within each type of program, there can be variations and even combinations. In any case, the key is to design a program that meets important criteria for residents and the municipality. For residents, the program must be:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For the city or town, it must:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The information that town leaders collect in the data-gathering phase can help them determine which type of PAYT program best matches their needs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The second part of the program design phase is pricing, and it requires a delicate balance. Planners must weigh their community\u2019s needs for revenue-generation with the corresponding need for the program to influence the desired behavioral change\u2014MSW reduction and increased recycling. If the community prices the program components (such as bags or tags) too high, residents may balk at the cost and not participate as expected. On the other hand, if the program components are priced too low, residents will not have the full incentive to reduce their MSW and increase their recycling. Designing a PAYT program to strike the perfect balance between revenue-generation and pricing that influences residents appropriately is essential.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Benefits Assessment <\/strong> \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Financial Benefits<\/em> <\/p>\n An increase in the amount of recyclables almost always leads to increased employment in the community and the surrounding region. This increased employment can take the form of jobs in collection, processing and remanufacturing. Once the community builds an understanding of how great an increase in recyclables collection they can expect to see, they can estimate the impact of that increased collection on local and regional jobs. As an example of PAYT\u2019s significant potential for job-creation, using figures from a 2011 study from the Tellus Institute, if PAYT were instituted nationwide, the resulting increase in recycling would lead to the creation of more than 370,000 new jobs.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Environmental Benefits<\/em> <\/p>\n As an example of PAYT\u2019s potential for significant environmental impact, it is estimated that if PAYT were implemented in every US community, greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced by an amount equal to the exhaust from almost 20 million vehicles each year, and the amount of energy saved would be the equivalent of installing roughly 100 million rooftop solar arrays.1<\/sup><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Waste Reduction Benefits<\/em> <\/p>\n Careful planning for PAYT can give municipal leaders the information they need to build the right program for their community and help them satisfy their unique needs and objectives. Gathering the right kind of information about the community\u2019s MSW situation, designing the program appropriately for the community and identifying the benefits of PAYT are key steps on the path toward successful PAYT implementation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The final article in this series will focus on PAYT implementation.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\nAs the old saying goes, you can\u2019t know where you\u2019re going if you don\u2019t know where you are. It\u2019s the same with public-sector planning. Before municipal leaders can design a PAYT program and understand its potential benefits, they must first develop a detailed understanding of where their community currently stands in terms of municipal solid waste (MSW) collection and disposal. Data should be gathered data on the following areas:<\/p>\n\n
\nUsing the information they have gathered, municipal leaders should move next to designing their PAYT program to perform optimally in their city or town and to meet the community\u2019s unique expectations for it. This pivotal point in the planning process is essential to the future success of the program.<\/p>\n\n
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\nHaving gathered data on the current situation and plotted out the structure of the program, the final step in planning is for municipal leaders to use that information to understand what the PAYT program will mean for them and their community. Developing an understanding of what the city or town stands to gain from PAYT in the benefits-assessment phase is valuable in moving from planning to implementation because it gives municipal leaders concrete details about the program that they can use to communicate its value to other stakeholders in local government and with residents of the community. The benefits of PAYT can come from a number of different arenas.<\/p>\n
\nThere are two main benefits of PAYT for finances: the net financial impact, and the impact of PAYT on recycling-based job creation. The net financial impact of any PAYT program is made up of several different elements, detailed below. Some of those elements derive from new incremental revenue, while others are made up of funds that otherwise would have been spent if the community had not adopted PAYT.<\/p>\n\n
\nThe environmental benefits of PAYT can be very significant, and they can take a number of different forms. With the right inputs and tools, such as the EPA\u2019s Waste Reduction Model (WARM), municipalities can estimate the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions as a result of adopting PAYT. Municipalities can also estimate the amount of energy saved and the extension of the life of their local or regional disposal site.<\/p>\n
\nPAYT will have a positive impact on MSW and recycling volume; the only question is how much. While it is of course impossible to predict the future, informed communities with good historical data and a strong understanding of their current and future operational arrangements can forecast that impact with a great degree of confidence.<\/p>\n