Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) Information

PAYT requires that residents purchase special City of Waterville trash bags (see example below) at participating vendors in order for their trash to be collected by the City. Bags are available for purchase at most grocery and convenience stores in Waterville. There are two bag sizes - Large (30-gallon) and Small (15-gallon). Large bags include 5 bags per roll for $13; Small bags include 8 bags per roll for $13.

Trash not placed in the City of Waterville's purple pay-as-you-throw trash bags will not be collected. Residents who don't want to participate in PAYT can opt to contract with private haulers for their trash removal.

WasteZero provides specialized bags to local stores. In addition to rubbish collection, the City's Public Works Department will pick up recyclables every week and pine tree waste.

Still, have some questions?

Certain items such as hazardous waste, medications, mattresses, furniture, chemicals, construction materials, etc. cannot be disposed of in the regular trash or through curbside recycling. View information on how to dispose of these items (PDF).

Waste Not, Pay Not

Garbage collection is a service just like electricity and water. You pay for only what you use of these utilities. Why should rubbish be any different?

It's not.

Thousands of communities across the United States have implemented a new system for paying for trash pick-up and disposal. It's called "Pay as You Throw."

Pay as You Throw is a system that charges residents for trash services based on the amount of waste they throw away. This system is fair to everyone and it puts You in control of how much you spend on trash.

We encourage residents to take full advantage of the free zero-sort, curbside recycling program to save the most money on trash collection.