CHINA — Residents are leery of the cost and possible trash disposal consequences associated with a mandatory pay-per-bag trash system that will begin July 1 in China.
About 100 China residents gathered for two hours Saturday morning at China Middle School for an informational meeting hosted by the Board of Selectmen on the pay-per-bag system.
A representative from the company China has contracted with to the run the pay-per-bag system, WasteZero, and a representative from the Kennebec Valley Council of Governments who has overseen implementing similar pay-per-bag systems were at the meeting to answer questions.
Selectmen voted last month to implement the program on a trial basis. It will require residents to buy specific trash bags for their garbage in an effort to reduce the cost the town pays annually for garbage disposal, and at the same time to encourage residents to keep their trash levels down by recycling.
Townspeople at Saturday’s meeting expressed concern about the logistics of the rebate program officials have proposed to return some of the bag costs, the possibility of the program spurring illegal dumping and the fact that selectmen are implementing a trial of the program without asking residents first.
Tensions were high at the start of the meeting, with audience members shouting that the program was a “back-door tax” and accusing town officials and WasteZero of “profiteering.” Once the selectmen restored order, Ross Nason of KVCOG and Sarah Bernier of WasteZero finished their informational presentations and opened the floor for audience questions.
“It’s not as negative as some people in the audience might think,” Selectman Neil Farrington said. “If you have tomatoes (to throw), please wait until the end.”
China resident Elizabeth Campbell said her initial reaction to the pay-per-bag system was “no way,” but she said that she could be swayed if residents were given a detailed cost-benefit analysis of how the rebate system will work.
“It’s odd to open this to questions when we haven’t been given a thorough presentation,” she said. “I would be open to it only if I am going to see a result in my tax bill.”
Farrington is pushing for the pay-per-bag system after seeing a similar program implemented in Etna that included a rebate for residents. “If there is no rebate, I am not for this program,” he said.
The bags will come in three sizes: 30-gallon bags at a cost of $2 each, 15-gallon bags at a cost of $1.75 and 8-gallon bags at a cost of 75 cents.
An informational sheet presented by Bernier states that in the first year of the program, China could save up to $50,000 in tipping and transportation fees, while bringing in $113,000 in revenue from bag sales and additional revenue through recycling.
However, the selectmen did not have detailed figures on how much money would be returned to residents. The town’s plan is to divide the bag sale revenue evenly and return it to taxpayers annually. Only residents who list China as a primary residence would be eligible to get a rebate.
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