By Sally Chappell

Bridgton Recycling Committee     

In dealing with municipal solid waste, the financial and environmental benefits of Pay Per Bag (PPB) are well documented. The equity factor also plays a role in the appeal of PPB.

How often have we wondered why people bringing in a trailer full of bags of trash to the transfer station pay the same $5 per year sticker fee as those people whose trips to the trash hopper are much less intensive? 

What about the many out of state licenses on vehicles we see at the transfer station without the required sticker? 

In many cases, there are reasonable answers to those questions. Some states do not allow stickers of other states to be displayed on the vehicle. As happened to me recently, I used a rental car with a Florida license plate for a few weeks while my car was being repaired. Questioning each patron of the transfer station as to their sticker status is too time consuming for the busy workers there. PPB would not replace the need for stickers because the transfer station requires proof of residence in the case of demolition debris that is charged by weight. In any case, nobody is saying that $5 per year for a sticker or $100 per year for commercial haulers is excessive.

Let us consider waste removal to be in the same category as water and electricity usage. We would not expect to pay a flat amount for either of those necessities. Likewise, for waste removal, which like water and electricity, we can control through conservation measures.

The sticker fee is not covering the cost to the town for removal of trash. PPB can address that problem. Even though recycling and composting will be free, PPB does not force people to recycle or reduce their trash. It is an incentive for us to be mindful of the burden assumed by the town taxpayers for trash removal. When commercial haulers and vehicles loaded with bags of our town’s particular color dump their contents into the trash hopper, we will all know that they are paying their fair share toward this public service.

This column was submitted by the Bridgton Recycling Committee. Do you have a question regarding the Pay Per Bag proposal? Questions can be sent to bridgtonrecyclingcommittee@yahoo.comand they will be answered by the committee in future columns or by e-mail.