Greenbelt council approves one‑year 'Save As You Throw' pilot for trash fees starting Jan. 1

The Greenbelt City Council voted unanimously to authorize a one‑year pilot of a “Save As You Throw” (pay‑as‑you‑throw) trash fee program beginning Jan. 1, 2026. The pilot sets a proposed base residential fee of $240 per year for households that buy city‑approved trash bags and an opt‑out annual fee of $380 for households that do not participate. The council also approved continuing the curbside food‑scrap pilot for 410 existing participating accounts with a proposed city subsidy of $14.13 per household per month and a $5 monthly participant contribution.

Council members said the program is intended to reduce landfill disposal and increase recycling by making part of each household’s trash fee proportional to the amount of landfill waste it generates. The council instructed staff to draft an ordinance implementing the pilot and to return with the ordinance for formal readings and public comment (first reading in July, second in August if scheduled).

The pilot’s mechanics presented to council call for retail sale of city‑approved bags in local stores; most of the fee beyond the base or opt‑out charge would be collected through bag sales and remitted to the city via a third‑party administrator. Presenters said typical bag prices in the proposal are: 8‑gallon small bag (about $0.80), 13‑gallon medium bag ($1.25), and 33‑gallon large bag ($2). Households would purchase the number and size of bags they need; collectors would look for the city‑approved bags when picking up trash. Staff and presenters said the pilot assumes initial household participation rates commonly seen in other municipalities of roughly 40–60 percent, which affects revenue projections and the city’s net gain compared with a flat fee.

Public works and finance staff described implementation tasks: staff training for collection crews and billing, an outreach campaign to educate residents and retailers, coordination with the vendor (WasteZero) to stock bags at local stores and to manage remittances, and a simple enforcement procedure based on stickers and warning notices for noncompliance. Dr. Robles, Public Works staff, said existing pickup crews already note noncompliant containers and leave a written notice when items are not collected, and that crews would follow similar procedures for bag compliance.

Council and residents repeatedly raised concerns about equity and logistics. Greenbelt Homes, Inc. (GHI) representatives asked how the co‑op’s billing and already‑paid GHI fees would be reconciled because GHI’s fiscal year starts Jan. 1 and many GHI members prepay trash costs; staff said the January start date gives time to coordinate. Staff reported there are about 2,300 residential accounts served by city collection; about 1,600 of those accounts are GHI members and roughly 900 are non‑GHI households. City staff said it can assume billing for GHI accounts if GHI prefers to stop handling billing for the city, but that change would require additional city administrative work.

Presenters and staff said WasteZero offered to support setup and retailer outreach without upfront cost to the city; WasteZero would retain a small portion of bag revenue to cover its services but the bulk of bag purchase revenue would be returned to the city. Staff said the city currently charges $280 per year for residential collection, and the recently adopted budget includes a planned flat increase to $336; Prince George’s County’s comparable per‑household fee was cited at about $356.32 per year. Proponents said the pilot’s projected revenue at reasonable participation rates would exceed the city’s flat‑fee revenue and could fund the continued food‑scrap program beyond the USDA grant period.

The council asked staff to address remaining operational questions (retailer participation, counterfeit bag risk, fraud prevention, and fine/enforcement details) before final ordinance adoption. The pilot was approved as a policy direction to draft an ordinance; council members emphasized the program remains subject to the full ordinance process and public hearings.

The council set a one‑year evaluation period; staff will report back with participation, revenue, waste diversion, and recommended adjustments before any long‑term change.