Pay as you throw (PAYT) was heralded as a solution to increase recycling, and as a way for the city to generate revenue without raising taxes. We were told it was a “fair” system, where those who produced the most garbage would pay the most. Unfortunately, those who produce the most garbage are families with young children. While some of these families qualify for free “purple bags,” working families with children do not.

I noticed as PAYT began, public trash barrels in Lafayette Park and along Pleasant Street were removed. Today there is only one barrel on Pleasant Street where there used to be three. There is only one barrel in Lafayette Park where there used to be five. I often pass these barrels and they are filled with residential garbage.

PAYT has also led to an increase in contamination in our recycling bins. Because the “purple bags” are expensive, many people opt to throw things like pizza boxes into their recycling bins. These contaminants greatly increase the fees Fall River pays to recyclers.

For every PAYT bag sold there are costs. It costs money to produce the bags; WasteZero and the store that sold the bags gets a commission. I’ve tried to research these costs and can only estimate that they make up two-thirds of the revenue. That means that when the city says PAYT generated $2 million in revenue, that Fall River residents spent $6 million. In other words, $4 million left our community.

Pay as you throw is not fair. Pay as you throw is a tax on children.

Ben Coleman

Fall River