CAPE ELIZABETH–A change may be coming to how Cape Elizabeth residents remove their trash.

During the Town Council’s July 12 workshop, Penny Jordan briefed her fellow council members and members of the Recycling Committee about the possibility of the town changing from its current waste removal system to charging residents a fee for every bag of trash they throw out.

The hope for the system, dubbed pay-per-throw, is that it would encourage further recycling efforts in town and reduce the $745,000 the town spent last fiscal year on waste removal.

Jordan said town residents in Cape Elizabeth for the most part do a good job recycling, with 30 to 32 percent of town residents already recycling. But, she said, it is not as much about getting the recycled materials out of the waste stream as it is reducing organic materials, such as table scraps or compostable items, in the waste stream.

Council Chairwoman Anne Swift-Kayatta noted that there are several things to keep in mind while discussing adoption of pay-per-throw, such as the fact that increased recycling is good for the environment and future generations, and that waste removal is a huge budget item for the town.

Other considerations include deciding whether waste removal should be tied to property tax or how much a resident recycles or throws out, and the fact that in the past residents have expressed their satisfaction with the transfer station.

The switch to a pay-per-throw system has caused controversy in other towns around Maine. When Sanford officials included a pay-per-throw system in the town budget this year, residents quickly took up an effort to repeal it. The matter will be on the November ballot in Sanford as a referendum.

The pay-per-throw system, Jordan said, is but one option the town could use to reduce its trash disposal costs as well as what goes into its waste stream.

Town Manager Michael McGovern said last fiscal year, which closed on June 30, the town paid $745,000 for waste removal, including $572,200 to the ecomaine nonprofit waste management company.

Reducing how much gets thrown out through whichever system the town adopts in the future would reduce this budget cost, McGovern said. Last year, he said, the town threw away 273 tons less of solid waste – an 8 percent reduction from the previous year that saved $28,000.

Jordan, who said she is not supportive of the fee-based system, said that after talking to the members of the Recycling Committee, residents and customers at her farm stand, she believes town groups need to come together and look at a broader strategy in reducing its waste. Pay-per-throw, she said, is just one option.

“What I am proposing for my fellow council members is to come together, ratchet it up and look at what we want in a long-term perspective for Cape Elizabeth,” she said.

Councilor David Sherman said Jordan’s idea was not the best approach because it sets up another committee and a round of meetings, slowing the process.

“I see a value in that, but I also see a value in having a concrete plan,” she said.

The pay-per-throw idea will next be addressed by the council at a workshop Aug. 9 at 7 p.m., when the councilors will have more specifics about how the program may work in Cape Elizabeth. A public hearing on the topic has been scheduled for Sept. 13.

Town councilors agreed hearing from the public is the first step so the town can develop a waste removal program around their needs.

“I want to make sure, whatever we do, we get a lot of citizen input,” Swift-Kayatta said.

Exploring the pay-per-throw waste removal system was listed among the council’s highest priority in seeking revenue sources outside property taxes when council members listed their goals for the calendar year at their Jan. 11 meeting. Increasing the recycling or materials by citizens, local government and the school department was listed in the council’s highest priorities for environmental stewardship.