Variable rate system works in Texas

Pay As You Throw is a pilot project in Austin, Texas, that uses a variable rate system for its residential garbage collection. Pay As You Throw offers 3 sizes of garbage cans. Customers choose the size appropriate for their household, and that is the basis for their monthly garbage fee. If the customer has extra garbage, stickers can be purchased to attach to additional containers or bags. The most productive part of the program has been the yard waste composting. The pilot has also been successful in increasing participation in recycling. The program encourages recycling by making it more convenient. Recyclables are collected the same day as garbage, reducing the number of customer trips to the curb. The variable fee offers a financial incentive by reducing the monthly garbage rate for customers that recycle. The biggest capital cost for the program was the purchase of carts. The only other capital expenditure was the semiautomated lifters, which were retrofitted on 5 trucks.