Town of Plymouth Article 7D Solid Waste Annual Town Meeting

1. Town of Plymouth Article 7DSolid WasteAnnual Town Meeting Town of Plymouth Department of Public Works April 6, 2013

2. Solid Waste Management History: Expiration of County Lease, South Street Capping of South Street Expiration of SEMASS Contract Low recycling/High disposal rates Declining sticker sales Changes in future disposal markets Increases to Manomet & Cedarville with the closing of South Street

3. The Urgency: Tipping fees are tripling, from $23 per ton now to $65 per ton or more in 2015. If nothing is done… • Inaction will punish transfer station users. • Residents will generate twice as much trash as needed, at triple today’s disposal cost. • Transfer station users will pay a higher fee. Private Subscription Curbside users will continue to pay roughly twice as much as necessary. And they will do it with negligible recycling, to the further detriment of our environment. The status quo is unsustainable and will cost everyone more money. Transfer station revenues are declining, costs are increasing, and we will need to make significant investments in a facility we may not be able to use long term (South Street).

4. Developing Options • Developed multiple options in conjunction with • Outreach • Past studies, reports, civic engagement • Working with the MADEP • Looking at other communities • Number of current private subscriptions • Technologies • Future disposal Our focus has been on reducing resident and town costs by • Reducing trash tonnages • Increasing recycling • Building fairness into the system

5. Public Process Since Fall Town Meeting Initially, curbside-only was determined to be the most economical option. Given resident feedback and desire for choice, however, the Town changed course. 2012 • October 20 Solid waste information booth with handouts posted Fall Town Meeting • October 24 First community forum held (Council on Aging) • November 26 Second community forum held (Town Hall) • November 27 Public presentation and discussion (at Selectmen’s meeting) • December 6 Third community forum held (Town Hall) • December 11 Fourth community forum held (Plymouth Airport) 2013 • January 14 Fifth community forum held (Plymouth South Middle School) • February 12 Public presentation and discussion (at Selectmen’s meeting) • February 26 Presentation with Board of Selectmen.  Vote 4-1 in favor of Option 3. • February 27 Discussion with Finance Committee. Vote 3-8 against Option 3. • March 5 Presentation to Finance Committee.  Vote 9-2 in favor of Option 3.

6. Option 3 1. Transfer Stations with Pay as You Throw for 6-months 2. Close two stations on January 1, 2014 3. Program Effective January 1, 2014 4. Residents select option in Spring 2013 Residents choose their waste option: Curbside with Pay as You Throw and single stream recycling or Manomet Transfer Station with Pay as You Throw

7. Recommendation Option 3 because: Financial considerations • Lower cost over ten years - Residents and Town • Avoid significant capital investment in a facility we occupy at the discretion of the County. • Avoid cost growth (and risk) for waste disposal Service considerations • Expressed preference of residents • Convenience • Offering recycling to all residents • The option of improved public services for those who wish to use (and pay for) them

8. Additional Considerations • This collection system (transfer station and curbside) already exists and is well established. • The recommendation aggregates the buying power of people who have elected curbside. This will reduce their cost by about half. • More people can join curbside if they want, but they can do that today. Our recommendation preserves residents’ right to choose, but it saves them money regardless of the choice they make. • It is clear that residents are choosing existing curbside options – at a higher cost – rather than remaining with Town service. This is true even during the recession. 51% of residents “opt out” of Town service The Town already has curbside service, residents just pay more for it. Curbside isn’t the real question. The real question has been:Should the Town preserve the opportunity to use a transfer station for everyone who would like to, while helping all residents – transfer station and curbside – save money?

9. The Selected Option: Managing Solid Waste & Recycling Can cut trash in half for each household Transfer Station/Curbside with PAYT… Can increase recycling by 300%Recycling could double for transfer station users, from 11% to 22%, and go from zero to 22% for curbside users. • Services options remain the same for everyone. • Curbside users can remain curbside, but cut their cost in half. • Transfer station users continue to use the transfer station, but will avoid the fee increases associated with disposing of twice as much tonnage as necessary at an escalating rate. • Expect: The Town sees an enormous increase in recycling: • Current recyclers double their recycling. • Recycling service is provided to many people who don’t have it today.

10. Pay-As-You-Throw: A Proven Solution to Dramatically Reduce Waste “Pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) programs, also called unit-based or variable rate pricing, provide a direct economic incentive for residents to reduce waste. Under PAYT, households are charged for waste collection based on the amount of waste they throw away, in the same way they are charged for electricity, gas, and other utilities.” • Residential trash tonnage to landfills and incinerators is reduced. • Recycling rates correspondingly increase as landfill/incinerator tonnage decreases. • Residents experience little change in service. • Residents become increasingly satisfied as they understand the benefits of the program. What are its effects? What is PAYT? – U.S. EPA Whether implemented at transfer stations or curbside, PAYT is equally effective—and represents no real change to residents already buying bags at stores.

11. Pay-As-You-Throw—Common Concerns PAYT has always faced objections, but it can be both simple and successful. • Residents may not want to (or be able to) use curbside collection. • They don’t have to. They can continue taking their trash to the transfer station. Because they will generate less trash, they will pay less to do this than would otherwise be the case. • For curbside users, can PAYT work with automated carts? • Absolutely; these programs are very successful. • Won’t illegal dumping increase? • No. Studies show little or no increase in illegal dumping caused by PAYT. • Residents won’t like it • EPA studies—and real-life experience—show broad public support for PAYT programs. • Research shows that most pre-implementation concerns are significantly overestimated—and eliminated—once a program is implemented.

12. Summary The Board of Selectmen (4-1) and Finance Committee (8-2) support Option 3 • Curbside pickup • One transfer station • PAYT to reduce costs and increase fairness • Hard-to-manage facility Anticipated Impacts Single stream recycling and pay as you throw will cut trash per resident by up to half, producing a savings of approximately $450,000 per year in tip fees @$70/ton. Choice is preserved, recycling is dramatically expanded, and residents will save money compared to the other options available to them.

13. Appendix A Assumptions

14. Curbside Assumptions Curbside: • # Households Serviced – 10,000 gradually increasing to 18,000 in year 7 of a 10 year contract • New Tipping Fee – Starting at $65 per ton in 2015 and increasing every year by $5 to a max of $100 per ton • Disposal Tons decreasing 10% annually from 1.29 to .79 per household due to single stream recycling – a 40% overall decrease • Curbside Contract Escalator 3% • Budget Multiplier 2.5% for Costs to Provide Program • PAYT Bags – Price is designed to cover the cost of the bag and the tipping fee; therefore starts out at $1.25 per 30 gallon bag with 2 incremental increases in the 10 year period up to $1.75 per bag. Source: Town of Plymouth, Department of Public Works

15. Transfer Station Assumptions Transfer Station: • # Households – Decreasing based on historical trends from 5,000 to 3,894 over the 10 year period • New Tipping Fee – Starting at $65 per ton in 2015 and increasing every year by $5 to a max of $100 per ton • Disposal Tons decreasing 10% annually from 1.29 to .79 per household due to recycling – a 40% overall decrease – verage User • Recycling Revenues will increase based on Increased Recycling • Budget Multiplier 2.5% for Costs to provide Transfer Station • PAYT Bags – Price is designed to cover the cost of the bag and the tipping fee; therefore starts out at $1.25 per 30 gallon bag with 2 incremental increases in the 10 year period up to $1.75 per bag. Source: Town of Plymouth, Department of Public Works

16. Appendix B Financials

17. ARTICLE 7D-Solid Waste Budget • OPTION 3-FY14 Budget= $2,346,523 3 Stations ½ year- $685,201 1 Station ½ year- $375,070 Curbside ½ year- $968,896 Hard to Manage- $317,356 Total $2,346,523 Source: Town of Plymouth, Department of Public Works

18. Solid Waste OptionsPay As You Throw • Option 1-FY14 Budget=$1,642,920.00 • Flat fee-$43/year • Average User-$179/year • Option 3-FY14 Budget=$2,346,523.00 • Flat fee, Transfer Stations-$48/year • Average User, Transfer Station-$179 • Flat fee, Curbside-$73/year • Average User, Curbside-$210 Note that costs will escalate further and faster under Option 1, as more trash will be generated at triple the tipping fee Source: Town of Plymouth, Department of Public Works

19. Appendix C About Pay As You Throw

20. Does It Work? Real-Life Success Stories Malden Oct. 2008-June 2009 Monthly Pounds Per Capita Residential Solid Waste Tonnage Worcester 1986-2008Annual Pounds Per Capita Residential Solid Waste Tonnage Program Initiation Program Initiation Monthly PPC Annual PPC Source: 1986-2003 - City of Worcester 2004-2008 – Mass. DEP Source: 2007- 2009 - City of Malden The savings begin immediately— and continue well beyond the foreseeable future. PAYT results are immediate… …and long lasting