MORE ON GARBAGE PROPOSAL

Tonight's meeting on a new pay-per-throw garbage plan is set for 7 p.m. at town hall.


A four-page description on the township website states the basic model.

Patch described it as this:

• Single contract between the town and a hauler (currently residents contract directly with one of two designated haulers). The town bills each individual user (homeowner, apartment dweller, etc) with an annual fee, similar in structure to the sewer fee paid now. The fee — estimated to be between $175 and $235 — covers collection, administrative costs and a "recycling improvements fund."
• A "pay as you throw" system, whereby customers throw their garbage out in special bags that are purchased in stores or from the hauler. The cost of the bag covers the tipping fee — the actual cost of throwing out trash. The presenters contrasted this with the current system where customers pay for two 32-gallon garbage pails per pickup twice a week no matter how much trash they have. Using this plan, "light users" — or those using about two 13-gallon bags per week — could pay as little as $250 to $310 per year. (The proposal estimates that "heavy users" — those using three 30-gallon bags per week — would pay between $375 and $435 per year.)