West Hartford town leaders are considering a different way for residents to dispose their garbage, in hope of increasing recycling.
The proposal essentially says the more garbage you put out, the more you would pay.
The "Pay As You Throw" program would charge residents based on the amount of trash they throw out.
Instead of buying commercial bags, residents would have to buy bags from the town.
Town leaders said the program would give residents an incentive to recycle more. Currently, about 7,000 tons of recyclable material is picked up every two weeks. Compare that to the amount of garbage picked up every week: about 20,000 tons.
Town officials said they’re running out of room on where to put the trash and need to find alternatives on how to reduce the amount of trash being thrown out.
Residents' garbage service is paid for through residents' taxes to the town.
Town leaders say the burn plant in Hartford is shifting into a recycling center in the coming weeks. If the proposal passes, they hope more recycling will be sent there instead of filling garbage dumps.
Town leaders in Manchester are exploring a similar proposal for their residents.
