(Host) Voters in two southern Vermont towns have called for a re-vote on a new system of paying for household waste disposal.
The towns of Brattleboro and Westminster both adopted "pay-as-you-throw" systems at their town meetings this year. The systems require residents to pay for disposal based on the volume of trash they generate.
Advocates say "pay-as-you-throw" encourages recycling, and saves money in towns with municipal trash collection.
But citizens in both towns have filed petitions to reconsider the issue. In Westminster, a special town meeting has been set for May 4th.
In Brattleboro, where more than 500 people signed petitions for a referendum, the select board has asked the Windham Superior Court for a judgment on the legality of the petition.
Selectboard member Daryl Pillsbury says that’s a shame.
(Pillsbury) "In my opinion just going to a town-wide vote would have been a lot quicker, easier. We would have found out exactly what the town wanted to do. We would have been done with this and saved a lot of money."
(Host) Petitioners’ concerns include how the system’s would affect on low-income households. There also are fears that local residents and the solid waste district aren’t prepared for an increase in recycling.