The City of Fayetteville has operated with a Pay-As-You-Throw residential trash program since 2000. The objective of this type of program is to reduce waste and provide a more equitable way to bill for trash service. Instead of paying a fixed fee for unlimited collection, this system requires households to pay more if they produce more trash. Paying by volume is comparable to the way most people pay for electricity and water.

The Solid Waste and Recycling Division is an Enterprise Fund and operates from the revenue it generates and doesn’t rely on City’s general fund or taxes as a means of funding. The roughly 8 million dollar budget services all commercial dumpster collections (2-yd through 8-yd and commercial carts), commercial drop box collections, residential trash collections, curbside bulky waste collections, 9 citywide bulky waste clean ups per year, curbside recycling collections, recycling drop off location, curbside yard waste collections and composting / mulching operations.

Since implementation of the Pay-As-You-Throw program, the City has won numerous awards and accolades, including the 2003 Government Recycler of the Year and the 2005 Recycling Education Program of the Year from the Arkansas Recycling Coalition and the 2004 Meritorious Achievement Award for Recycling and Waste Reduction and the 2005 Distinguished Service Award for Recycling and Waste Reduction from Keep Arkansas Beautiful. In 2006, the program was a finalist for an award for Municipal Excellence from the National League of Cities for the Pay-As-You-Throw program.

Weekly trash collection is limited based on the size of container at the household; however, residents can place out extra bags for collection at a charge of $6 per bag. This extra charge acts as a deterrent for excess waste and, in effect, encourages them to recycle and also choose the correct container size to fit their family needs. Each resident is given four free stickers per year to use on special occasions such as holiday gatherings.

From 2003 to the end of 2006 the number of households grew by 14%, or 2,260 households, while the tonnage of residential trash has increased by 12.5% or 1,431 tons. Keeping waste amounts in check is a direct result of the Pay-As-You-Throw program and residents recycling more. In 2003 recycling tonnage was 4,678 tons and at the end of 2006, recycling tons was 5,754. This is a 23% increase in the amount of recyclables sold during this period. The Pay- As-You-Throw program is working.

The tonnage from residential trash cart collections is verified through reconciling trash billing statements from the contractor at the Transfer Station. Cherokee Nation is contracted to operate the City’s Transfer Station and weighs the trucks for accurate billing.