Monday, May 10, 1999
Oxford to start pay-as-you-throw
Trash pickup to charge by the can
BY ANNA GUIDO
Enquirer Contributor
OXFORD — Residents here will be charged only for the amount of waste they throw away, making trash disposal more like other household utilities.
City council is expected to vote on the volume-based pricing system at an upcoming meeting.
“It's basically an equity issue with the rate payers,” said Jeff Aluotto, environmental specialist with the city service department. “The one-, two- and three-can system we're proposing will be more fair for people who really work to reduce their waste volume.”
Oxford is one of several Ohio communities awarded grants by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to pilot the program.
The Butler County Solid Waste Management District is working with Oxford.
“Recycling is part of it,” said Brent Jones. district coordinator. “Most all food wastes can be composted in a back-yard compost pile. Paying attention to the amount of packaging on a product and whether it is recyclable is another factor.”
The $30,000 grant was awarded last summer and has been used to publicize the pro gram and to teach the community how to minimize waste through recycling, composting and other means.
It provides a “tremendous incentive” to recycle, Mr. Jones said. “The more they put in their recycling bins, the less volume they have in their garbage can.”
The construction industry also is being educated about the program, because a lot of waste comes from the commercial sector, Mr. Aluotto said.
Oxford's program will be the first in Butler County. Milford in Clermont County has a similar program, as do a few cities in Hamilton County.
“Because there are so many service options in structuring a municipal waste collection contract, there are several different formats which could be considered pay-as-you-throw, or volume-based,” Mr. Jones said.
Oxford first studied the volume-based pricing system several years ago and in 1992 accepted a bid from Rumpke for the service, but never implemented it.
“There were some barriers to implementation, so in the meantime, we put everybody on a two-can limit,” Mr. Aluotto said. Under this system, each additional can of garbage costs $1.
Rates for the new service are still being worked out. The service is expected to take effect Jan. 1 and will be provided by Rumpke.
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