If all goes as planned, residents of the 22 member communities using the Lebanon landfill will have a new payment system in place that should be more convenient and efficient.
Instead of the current punch card system, the proposal is to incorporate prepaid trash bags and an online payment system that city staff hopes will be better for both users and employees.
A presentation at Wednesday’s City Council meeting will detail the proposed landfill payment system.
“I think we came up with the best solution available at this time to meet a variety of needs,” Lebanon Solid Waste Manager Marc Morgan said on Monday.
At the plan’s core will be pink trash bags that landfill users will be able to purchase at supermarkets, convenience stores and other retail outlets. The bags will be more widely available than the current punch cards, which can be purchased in only a few locations.
The prepaid bags will be a signal to landfill workers, helping customers get through the checkpoint more efficiently.
A permit will still be required to demonstrate proof of residency in one of 12 Vermont communities or 10 in New Hampshire that have agreements with Lebanon for its landfill, which is located off Route 12A south of the commercial strip in West Lebanon.
Currently, a landfill user shows a QR code on a smartphone or printed on paper, then presents a punch card. The number of punches depends on the amount and types of items discarded.
It can be difficult for landfill users to know in advance how many punches a particular load will require.
With the pink bag system, much of that uncertainty will be eliminated. And if a landfill user has a larger item, it can be paid for on the spot through a smartphone.
The system could start to be phased in this fall, beginning with online prepayments for larger items. The pink bags are set to begin next summer. Punch cards would be phased out completely by 2024. The new system is the outcome of a process that brought together city staff, landfill workers, users and others as part of a 10-person team led by Morgan and Deputy City Manager Paula Maville, who will be presenting the plan to the City Council.
Morgan said he thinks the process was a success. He said some of the other options that were considered included allowing users to pay with credit or debit cards onsite, using Apple Pay or Google Pay, or creating a billing system similar to water and sewer bills.
“But, we looked at the world we currently live in,” Morgan said. “Staffing is an issue. How do we reduce customer time and staff time?”
Landfill users should expect to pay more under the new system, City Manager Shaun Mulholland said. The cost of running the landfill is increasing due to the cost of fuel, salaries and the need to go through the permitting process to open a new landfill cell.
Currently, punch cards are $15 for 10 punches, or $1.50 per 30-gallon bag of trash.
Other items can be disposed of for a set number of punches, such as a tire for five punches, a mattress for nine punches or a computer monitor for 14 punches.
Under the new system, however, users will log on, prepay for the item and receive a receipt that will be shown to the gate attendant.
Duane Egner, of Thetford, one of the 22 communities that used the landfill, was one of the 10 members of the group that developed the new system.
Egner said the punch cards were a nuisance during the busy times such as Saturdays, causing delays and frustrations.
He believes the new system will allow workers to easily identify prepaid bags and save time checking punch cards and prevent them from having to turn customers away because they’re short of punches.
“I think it should be better for both,” Egner said. “As with any change, you’re going to have growing pains.”
Morgan said landfill users have been asking for something different.
“We take those comments very seriously,” Morgan said. “The city is responding to the changing needs of its citizens and customers.”
Morgan said the landfill sees twice as many people as it did pre-pandemic. He said many smaller communities quit providing transfer station services or reduced their hours, and after the pandemic, many people just continued coming to Lebanon due to expanded hours and other benefits.
Lebanon’s landfill is open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
Wednesday’s City Council meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. in the City Council chambers at City Hall. It’s also available live online at www.LebanonNH.gov/live.
Darren Marcy can be reached at dmarcy@vnews.com or 603-727-3216.