Tuesday, October 11, 2011

The Wichita City Council approved a pay as you throw trash plan with a vote of 6 to 1.

After a short public hearing, the council voted in favor of a plan that would require trash haulers to provide recycling to Wichita residents. The plan will also allow haulers to offer smaller trash bins at a lower cost, with the hope of keeping landfills from filling up so quickly.

All haulers will now have to provide a plan to the city to show how their company will provide the pay as you throw and the recycling system. The city will also charge trash haulers a $450 fee per truck. The fees will bring in $51,600 a year.

Ballinger Trash told city leaders the new program will be costly because the company will have to hire more workers to collect recycling, and it will have to buy more trash bins.

The new system is expected to go into effect on November 1, 2012.