Materials Management - Save Money & Reduce Trash (SMART)
Save Money & Reduce Trash (SMART)
Many towns fund their waste management services using revenue from property taxes and/or a flat fee. Save Money and Reduce Trash (SMART) programs are different; they charge residents for waste disposal based on the amount they throw away. SMART programs are known by other names, including unit-based pricing (UBP) and pay-as-you-throw (PAYT). Under a SMART system, residents that produce less trash are not subsidizing those that produce more. Communities that have implemented SMART find it is an effective incentive-based program that reduces waste disposal and increases recycling.
NEWMOA worked with waste management authorities in three rural areas of New Hampshire and Vermont from 2014 to 2015 to promote SMART strategies in their communities. NEWMOA developed case studies and outreach material and organized a series of informational meetings and training workshops. NEWMOA also developed an online SMART toolkit for rural communities.
- Case Studies: documents the experiences of 11 rural communities that have implemented SMART, including before/after data when available
- Outreach Materials: SMART fact sheet for the general public and brochures for municipalities that outline the benefits of SMART and provide information on implementing a program, including case studies and advice from rural communities
- Workshop Presentations: presentations from workshops held for various regional community audiences, including municipal representatives and transfer station operators
- SMART Toolkit for Rural Communities: an information resource to support SMART programs.
This material is based upon work supported by the Utilities Programs, United States Department of Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the view of the Utilities Program. The views expressed on this webpage do not necessarily reflect those of NEWMOA, USDA, the Project Partners, or the NEWMOA member-states.
NEWMOA is an equal opportunity employer and provider.
Case Studies
In 2014, NEWMOA developed short (1 or 2 page) case studies for the following small rural municipalities with experience implementing a SMART program, including before/after data when available:
Outreach Materials
NEWMOA developed brochures that include case studies and quotes from representatives of rural communities that have implemented SMART. The version accessed by the first set of links is designed for use in any geographic location.
Fair Pricing Strategies Brochure
View as: individual pages [PDF] or 11 x 17 layout [PDF]
Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Region, New Hampshire
View as: individual pages [PDF] or 11 x 17 layout [PDF]
Northeast Kingdom, Vermont
View as: individual pages [PDF] or 11 x 17 layout [PDF]
Windham District, Vermont
View as: individual pages [PDF] or 11 x 17 layout [PDF]
NEWMOA developed an outreach fact sheet to promote the benefits of SMART to the general public. It is a writable PDF so users can enter the appropriate local information in the “For More Information Contact” box on the back page before saving and posting or printing the handout.
SMART Toolkit for Rural Communities
This toolkit contains selected information resources that agencies and groups have published, that rural communities can use to develop and implement a SMART program. The resources are grouped in three categories: Implementing Smart, Outreach Materials, Presentations, and Other Helpful Resources:
- Pay-As-You-Throw: An Implementation Guide for Solid Waste Unit-Based Pricing Programs [PDF] – a comprehensive resource for communities considering SMART. Mass DEP, 2004*, 46 pages.
- Pay-As-You-Throw Workbook, Section Three: Worksheets [PDF] – seven worksheets to help define goals, set rates and monitor. US EPA, 1996*, 21 pages.
Establishing Fees:
- Rate Structure Design: Setting Rates for a Pay-As-You-Throw Program [PDF]: outlines the different methods to determine rates, and the issues to consider. US EPA, 1999*, 37 pages.
*Note that the principles of SMART remain constant, so resources developed in the 1990’s and early 2000’s are relevant and useful today (however, dollar amounts have changed)
Case Studies:
Massachusetts Municipalities with Pay-As-You-Throw Programs [PDF]: a spreadsheet that contains information about the 140 plus Massachusetts municipalities that have adopted SMART, many of which are small and/or rural communities. Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (Mass DEP), 2014, 4 pages.
Brochures and Other Outreach:
Fair Pricing Strategies Brochures – including a version designed for use in any geographic location, as well as versions for Northeast Kingdom, VT, Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Region, NH, and Windham District, VT, 2014, 4 pages.
View as: individual pages [PDF] or 11 x 17 layout [PDF]
Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Region, New Hampshire
View as: individual pages [PDF] or 11 x 17 layout [PDF]
Northeast Kingdom, Vermont
View as: individual pages [PDF] or 11 x 17 layout [PDF]
Windham District, Vermont
View as: individual pages [PDF] or 11 x 17 layout [PDF]
SMART: Communities Save Money & Reduce Trash Handout [PDF] – handout for the general public that outlines the benefits of SMART and how it works, 2015, 2 pages.
Template Program Guide for Residents [Word] – for use in transfer station municipalities that have adopted a PAYT system. The one page tri-fold template is in Microsoft Word format so it is easy to edit and customize to the specifics of a particular municipality, 2015, 2 pages.
Successful Local Outreach to Residents – Canterbury, NH
- Questions & Answers [PDF], 2006, 2 pages
- Program Guide [PDF], 2006, 2 pages
- Recycling Committee Report & Recommendations [PDF], 2005, 5 pages.
National Outreach Webinar
- Fair Pricing Strategies for Trash: PAYT Experience in Rural Areas & New Resources: June 26, 2015
- Presentation [PDF]
- Recording
New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services
- Statewide Meeting of Transfer Station Operators: [PDF] June 25, 2015
Solid Waste & Recycling Annual Conferences
- Northeast Resource Recovery Association: [PDF] June 8, 2015
- Maine Resource Recovery Association: [PDF] April 28, 2015
- MassRecycle: [PDF] March 30, 2015
Windham District, Vermont
- Regional Meeting of Municipal Officials and Private Companies that Haul Trash: [PDF] November 6, 2014
Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Region, New Hampshire
- Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission: [PDF] August 13, 2014
- Regional Meeting of Transfer Station Operators: [PDF] July 10, 2014
Northeast Kingdom, Vermont
- Regional Meeting of Municipal Officials: [PDF] June 26, 2014
- SMART BET Calculator (Saving Money and Reducing Trash Benefit Evaluation Tool): An Excel-based spreadsheet that calculates the potential greenhouse gas and cost savings related to typical changes in recycling and disposal that result from implementing SMART. Users input basic information about how their community’s trash is managed. US EPA, 2010.
- Variable Rate Pricing (aka unit-based pricing) Guide and Sample Ordinance for Municipalities [PDF]: Act 148, Vermont’s Universal Recycling Law requires all municipalities and private trash haulers in Vermont implement Unit-Based Pricing for all residences. Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VT DEC), 2015, 12 pages.
- Increasing Recycling Now! Implementing Recycling and Pay As You Throw (PAYT) Ordinances, Legislation, or Contracting. Practical Guide and Model Language [PDF]: Information applicable to curbside pick-up, particularly to extend PAYT to private (subscription) haulers. Lisa A. Skumatz, Ph.D. and Juri Freeman, 2008, 30 pages.