Public Comment: Pay-As-You-Throw is the Sustainable, Equitable Solid Waste Solution

The following public comment was offered at the Amherst Town Council meeting on November 2, 2026.

My name is Darcy DuMont and I live in District 3. I am speaking on behalf of Zero Waste Amherst today.

First, I’d like to respond to some questions that have come up about implementing a Pay-As-You-Throw waste-hauling system. In our current system with USA Waste and Recycling, people who waste little subsidize people who waste a lot. That’s because there is virtually no difference in what customers pay – around $550/yr.  People who choose the smallest trash carts and get picked up biweekly pay virtually the same as those with the largest carts picked up weekly. That means if you waste 32 gallons every two weeks, you pay virtually the same as someone who wastes 190 gallons. There is virtually no cost difference between weekly and biweekly pickup, nor in cart size. That is neither equitable nor sustainable. And that’s why we need the Pay-As-You-Throw system.

A Pay-As-You-Throw system has been shown to reduce municipal waste by as much as 40% by educating folks to divert trash to both recycling and compost. 

Also, because we’ll go through a competitive bidding process, prices will likely drop substantially from what they are now, so it’s premature to project that anyone will suffer financial hardship before we even have cost information. And if we later find low-income families suffering hardship, we could potentially offer them vouchers. If the transfer station is still open, that will also be a low-cost option.

The transfer station operates under a pure Pay-As-You-Throw system, which works very well. Customers pay by the number of bags of trash they produce. 

Pay-as-you-throw aims to reduce waste and emissions at a time when our landfills are near full and the climate is reaching a tipping point. A real, proportional Pay-As-You-Throw system is a smart, logical way for Amherst to move forward while providing equity for residents. 

As for the transfer station, many have commented about keeping it open. The TSO’s last word was that it should stay open. 

It is predictable that property managers and real estate interests would object to the waste hauler proposal. Their predictions are dire, but we’re confident the proposal can work, even in a college town.

It may take some time to educate and adapt, but just like recycling, a Pay-As-You-Throw system and compost diversion can become second nature to residents – a program we will be very proud of.

For more information from the DEP (Mass Department of Environmental Protection) on Pay-As-You-Throw systems, I have provided below links forwarded by Susan Waite (DEP, municipal assistance coordinator):

There are some new PAYT resources on the MassDEP website (see paragraph, below).  It is also important to note that Amherst’s current municipal trash program (at the Transfer Station) is a PAYT program.  These two graphs also are telling:

1. PAYT Map pounds of trash per Household download
2. Size of carts provided to residents affects how much trash is generated download

Revised PAYT webpage 
In addition to recent updates to MassDEP’s PAYT webpage, there is a new PAYT Workgroup Learning Series website with webinar recordings and slide decks from last year’s workgroup.  Municipalities with existing PAYT programs will find sessions 4, 5, & 7 particularly valuable.

Darcy DuMont is a former town councilor and sponsor of the legislation creating the Amherst Energy and Climate Action Committee. She is a founding member of Zero Waste Amherst, Local Energy Advocates of Western MA, and a non-voting member of Valley Green Energy Working Group. She can be contacted at dumint140@gmail.com.