Charlotte still studying ‘pay-as-you-throw’ trash idea

What does Charlotte City Manager Ron Carlee’s budget plan mean for the “pay-as-you-throw” trash plan that was under deliberation last year?

Carlee has recommended raising property taxes as part of his plan to make up for a large city budget gap. He told City Council the bump of almost 2 cents per $100 of property value would bring in enough revenue to cover the cost of Charlotte’s residential trash service.

Last fall, the city was looking at requiring residents to buy special bags that include the cost of trash service in their price. The bags sell for $0.50 to $2 each.

The “pay as you throw” service was one way the city could have done away with the $47 fee homeowners pay now for trash service.

But this week, Carlee proposed a property tax increase that would do away with the fee.

Carlee says people with homes valued under $267,000 would pay less overall. However, businesses would still pay a city trash fee.

On Tuesday, a city spokesperson confirmed that Charlotte does not anticipate discussing pay-as-you-throw again anytime soon.

An Observer story in November outlined questions about the program, including that a study of the concept would be completed in May. If the City Council endorses the idea at that point, then Solid Waste Services would study the best way to implement it.

This story was originally published May 6, 2015 at 9:03 AM with the headline "Charlotte still studying ‘pay-as-you-throw’ trash idea."