Pay-as-You-Throw/Unit-Based Pricing is a system of waste management where residents pay for the removal of refuse based on its weight rather than at a fixed fee. In most communities that use this system, pay-as-you-throw programs allow for an increase in recyclable and organic refuse items by only placing a small fee on waste items, promoting a more sustainable form of refuse removal.

Pay-as-you-throw programs support sustainable living by providing a benefit to recycling and composting refuse. Because there is only a fee based on the weight of waste, meaning households who recycle more will only pay for the amount of waste they dispose of. This also means that the life cycle of landfills will be extended because less waste is being disposed.

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Other Sources

“Pay-As-You-Throw.” National League of Cities. http://www.sustainablecitiesinstitute.org/topics/materials-management/recycling/pay-as-you-throw-programs. Accessed August 16, 2016.

Grover, Sami. “‘Pay-As-You-Throw’ Trash Metering Cuts Landfill Waste by 50% in a Month.” Treehugger. http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/pay-as-you-throw-trash-metering-cuts-landfill-waste-by-50-in-a-month.html. Accessed August 16, 2016.