SANFORD — The contract approved by the city council with Waste Zero Tuesday begins the process of instituting a trash disposal system that provides a rebate to consumers ”“ but the three-year contract becomes void if the council doesn’t then pass a law that implements it.

The unanimous vote came after some conversation by the council about tabling the matter for two weeks until questions could be answered, and an impassioned entreaty by one resident who is firmly against the proposal.

If an ordinance that enables the city to institute the program is approved later this spring, the More-in-Return program could kick off by Aug. 1.

Educational forums, where residents may ask questions of Waste Zero personnel, are scheduled to begin Monday at 7 p.m. in the community room at Goodall Library, and will continue at various locations through the end of March. Those who might be reluctant to speak in public are invited to stop by starting at 6 p.m. to ask questions privately.

Signing the contract Tuesday allowed the process to begin. There is no up-front cost to the city for the forums.

The More-In-Return program encourages residents to recycle by providing a rebate. Residents would buy special trash bags and use them for household waste. Then, the financial equivalent of the average number of bags used by households annually would be returned to the household ”“ likely in the form of a debit rebate card.

Waste Zero will receive 12.52 percent of program revenues for the sale of bags to administer the program, and a clause in the contract provides for a performance bonus if certain terms are met.

Each ton of trash that is recycled, rather than sent to Casella Waste Systems for disposal, saves the city $70.50. Recyclables are disposed of at EcoMaine in Portland at no cost, with the exception of transportation, which for most recyclables is figured into the total cost of curbside pick-up in the city’s contract with its waste hauler.

Some councilors worried about whether the city could get out of the contract if the forums show residents are firmly opposed to the proposal.

“There’s an out,” said Waste Zero Director of Municipal Partnerships John Craig.

Councilor Alan Walsh said he hadn’t heard about the performance bonus clause until he saw the contract. Councilor Ken Burgess, a former member of the council’s solid waste subcommittee, agreed and said he was also leery of signing a contract prior to the public forums.

“I think we really need to be cautious about what we’re doing,” he said.

Councilor Joseph Hanslip said he saw no problem in signing the contract, and if after the forums he’s not satisfied, he won’t vote to implement         the ordinance.

Director of Public Works Charles Andreson said the performance bonus clause has been part of the contract since discussions began, but the threshold for Waste Zero to reach is high and so hadn’t been a large focus of the discussions.

“We’d have to have a 33 percent reduction in our solid waste before they’d get the (performance bonus) credit,” said Andreson.

As an example, he said, if Sanford’s solid waste was reduced from 950 tons over two months to 630 tons over the same time period, then the performance bonus would be invoked. In that scenario, Sanford would save $28,000 in tipping fees, of which Waste Zero’s cut would be $1,400, Andreson calculated.

City Manager Steve Buck said the contract may be amended to allow for specific program details, and outlined in paperwork accompanying the contract that authorization of the agreement on Tuesday does not commit the city to implement the program unless an enabling ordinance is passed.

“We need people to take responsibility for the trash they generate,” said Councilor Fred Smith, a member of the three-councilor solid waste subcommittee that recommended approval.

After the public forums, the council’s solid waste committee will consider the input and will prepare any amendments to the proposed solid waste and recycling ordinance. A first reading and public hearing would be set for April 16, with a second reading and vote April 30. If the ordinance is approved by the council that day, the program would tentatively start Aug. 30.

Resident Charlie Plante said there’s a simpler way to encourage people to recycle: Charge them $1.50 for a sticker to place on their own trash bags.

“That money (Waste Zero will earn) is going out of town,” he said. “This contract is insane ”¦”

Councilors pointed out that Plante’s sticker idea was similar to the pay-as-you-throw plan they instituted back in 2010, which was repealed by voters three months after it was instituted.

During the three months pay as you throw was in effect, Sanford residents recycled about 37.5 percent of their household trash. Public Works officials estimate that Sanford’s recycling rate has hovered around 23 percent for the last several months.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, Ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.