WEST HARTFORD — For the second time in a week, West Hartford is trash-talking, as the town considers a proposal that would change the way residents pay for trash disposal.
Wednesday night’s meeting will address the program, which is called Save Money and Reduce Trash, or SMART. It’s also known as Pay As You Throw, meaning residents would pay for trash based on how much they throw away. Here’s how it works:
Residents would buy special trash bags from a local grocery store, costing between $1.25 and $2.00 each.
The idea is to increase the amount of people recycle and get them to think about ways to generate less trash.
Connecticut residents generate about 3.4 million tons of waste and trash facilities around the state are running out of capacity.
The average home in West Hartford is paying approximately $244 for trash disposal through taxes, which also includes an estimated cost for the current garbage bags.
The SMART program would reduce taxes and, according to a spokesperson at the first forum, would cut the cost to about $205. That includes buying the special garbage bags.
West Hartford is one of about a dozen towns that have worked with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection on developing a program like this.
The meeting is at King Philip Middle School at 7 p.m. and organizers are expecting a large turn out.
