Council Adopts 'Pay Per Throw' as Policy

The Falls Church City Council followed through on its promise Monday with a unanimous vote to approve a comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan for the City that includes a lengthy set of recommendations to encourage recycling and introduce "pay per throw" trash pick-up. The plan, mandated by the state, anticipates the City's needs over the next 20 years, and was produced by an ad hoc committee appointed by the Council last fall.

"This is a policy guide, not a set of firm commitments," said Vice Mayor Marty Meserve. She and Council member Lindy Hockenberry conceded that they'd been inundated by concerns of citizens over the "pay per throw" component of the report's recommendations since first reading of the plan in the News-Press two weeks ago.

However, while the Council made no attempt to remove or alter the "pay per throw" recommendation from the report, noting that it is policy in hundreds of jurisdictions across the U.S., it encourages recycling and it is more equitable than paying a flat rate for pickup.

Council member Sam Mabry cautioned, however, that the policy could discriminate against large families, since they produce more solid waste than homes with no children.

"The bottom line that we should take from this report is that it is more costly to dispose than to recycle," Mayor Dan Gardner said. He reiterated his view that any "pay per throw" program should be offset by a reduction in property taxes.

No discussion of a timetable for implementation of the policy recommendation took place.