‘Pay as you throw’ is green leadership

The village of Riverside is in the process of issuing a request for proposals to a group of waste hauling companies in order to have a new contract in place by the end of November, when the current five-year deal with Allied Waste expires.

Thus far, the village board and administration have embarked on a fact-finding mission in order to compile the challenges and opportunities associated with waste management and to evaluate possible changes to the waste collection system.

At a July 30 public meeting led by trustees Jean Sussman and Jim Reynolds and attended by some 25 residents, I made a presentation on behalf of the Riverside Sustainability Council.

I advocated my personal belief that a use-based fee structure, also referred to as “pay as you throw,” will be the most fair and prudent way of charging for solid waste.

I took away two distinct impressions from that meeting. First, people voiced an array of concerns and preferences, and argued that they were legitimate needs of many members of our community.

For instance, our elderly may depend on back-door service for the simple reason that carrying totes or rolling bins can be a strenuous affair. The public input underscored the desirability for residents’ choices in service. A one-size-fits-all system will not do.

Second, I was struck by how the debate and tone of the meeting evolved over two hours from start to finish. Initially a little heated, the meeting moved remarkably close to the rough formation of a consensus around a waste management system aligned with the pressing financial and environmental challenges of our time.

To the credit of the board of trustees, the meeting showed what can happen if governmental bodies take time to listen to their constituents, and how all the information gleaned assists in the build-up to the eventual and most informed decision making possible.

Under the current waste management contract, residents are charged a flat fee every two months for the collection of solid waste, which includes garbage, recyclables and yard waste.

The fact that the solid waste pick-up is unlimited is the equivalent of a financial penalty to those residents who try to reduce their solid waste. Meanwhile, it rewards the people who do not see a need for recycling. The “pay-as-you-throw” concept, which is also called unit-based or variable rate pricing, provides direct economic incentives for people to reduce the amount of waste they generate.

Households are charged for waste collection based on the amount of waste they throw away, in the same way they are charged for electricity, water, gas and other utilities.

This concept, which has already been adopted by a number of neighboring communities (LaGrange, LaGrange Park, Western Springs, Lyons, River Forest, Oak Park) is quite brilliant, in that it achieves a triple benefit: it offers environmental as well as economic advantages, and is often more equitable for residents. Doing the right thing is being rewarded.

Adopting “pay as you throw” is not without its challenges. Fear of increased illegal dumping and questions over any decrease of convenience in dealing with trash typically are among the concerns raised before implementation.

However, while these concerns are to be taken seriously, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has researched and is keeping track of “pay as you throw” and is offering extraordinarily detailed resources in the form of case studies, lessons learned and implementation guidelines.

A large majority of communities that have a “pay-as-you-throw” system have not seen an increase in illegal dumping, and a similarly large majority of residents deem usage-based garbage fees a great improvement over the flat fee system.

Any elected official faces the ever-challenging dilemma between representing the will of the people who elected them and the need to be a leader acting in the best interest of the community, unafraid of pointing out and attempting to correct areas in which we can perfect our union.

If on any given topic the dilemma turns out to be a win-win opportunity, governing is made easy. “Pay as you throw” is just such a win-win opportunity. If the board of trustees indeed does have the political will to make Riverside a green leader, adopting “pay as you throw” will be a small, yet important, piece of the legacy we ought to be leaving to our children’s children.

Tom Jacobs is a Riverside resident, architect and founder of the Riverside Sustainability Council.