"Pay as you throw" idea thrown around

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WFLI) - How much trash people in West Lafayette throw away could determine how much they pay for trash service.

Currently West Lafayette residents pay a flat fee for trash pickup.

The city has not raised that fee since 1993 and leaders say it needs to increase.

The Go Greener Commission along with city councilman Peter Bunder said a "pay as they throw" system would be a fair and an environmentally friendly way to collect garbage.

"I whole heartedly support this program as a resident and taxpayer," said West Lafayette resident Danny Weiss.

That support is music to the Go Greener Commission's ears. The commissions chairperson Diane Damico said the sticker system the commission is trying to push to the city council has three goals.

"One is to create economic stability for the trash pickup system. Try to generate enough revenue to pay for it. The second is environmental stability. So we are encouraging people to decrease the amount of trash they generate. And the third is to make it more equitable so that you can control how much you pay for your trash," said Damico.

Here's how it would work. You would have to pay for stickers on top of the flat fee. The stickers would either go on your trash bag or garbage can. If you have two garbage cans you would need two stickers.

"I think overall it's a pretty good idea. I think obviously there needs to be a rate increase of some sort. And so coupling that with something that allows people that are putting out less trash to pay less while still brining in the money to run the system I think is a good idea," said resident Bill Warner.

The commission hopes the pay as you throw system, which is currently used in 150 Indiana communities, will make people more aware of their "throw away" habits.

"To generate revenue and help encourage recycling and minimize the amount of trash we throw away," said West Lafayette mayor John Dennis.

West Lafayette city councilman Peter Bunder plans to draw up an ordinance on pay as you throw to present to the city council. He said he plans to propose the sticker price be three dollars, although that could change throughout the process.