In July Mayor Bloomberg once again floated a "Pay As You Throw" (PAYT) program to New Yorkers, suggesting that although its a long way off, he needs to consider all options in this economy.
PAYT programs have not only had success in larger municipalities, but they have outstanding effects on waste reduction and recycling frequency - 15%-28% waste reduction rates and double to triple recycling rates across 4,000 US cities. That having been said, you could come up with a myriad reasons why it wouldn't work in New York City (I'll leave it to you to make that list in your head).
Speaking as an expert, I predict that PAYT will come to New York City before the end of Bloomberg's term. This is because the idea just doesn't appeal to the tree-hugging, yupster space cadet; but it appeals to the financially conservative, as well as blue collar taxpayers.
It costs the city somewhere around $90 a ton to get rid of garbage. It's the NYC taxpayers that pay said $90 per ton out of their own pocket for over 12,000 tons a day. The same sweet old lady that throws out one half-filled Glad bag of Depends a week pays the same for the collection of her trash as the slumlord that is taking 8 families of off-the-books, off the grid, questionably legal people and packing them into a three family home, calling that a private dwelling and putting out 6 pails 2x a week of back-breaking, radioactive, pest infested sludge mixed with recyclables.
The taxpaying people of NYC are struggling to make ends meet and are shaken down like the Sheriff of Nottingham to pay for the slumlord's trash collection (and other illegal dumpers). The slumlord is just one example of somebody getting over hundreds more tons of garbage a year on the average taxpayer (at $90/ton). NYC needs PAYT to ensure that everybody who makes in this city contributes to cleaning it up. It should be a point of pride.
