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By Travis Andersen
Town Correspondent - Boston.com The head of the Department of Public Works said at a budget hearing on Monday that the pay-as-you-throw trash fee has reaped savings for Malden, a claim the leader of a group fighting the fee brushed off. DPW director Jeff Manship told city councilors on the Finance Committee that in May, his agency transferred 837 tons of trash to a facility in Saugus, down from 1,928 tons in May of 2008, for a savings of roughly $79,000. He said the city has saved about as much every month since October, when PAYT began. "You have to thank the residents of Malden for doing what is right," Manship said. They'll have a chance to reverse course on Nov. 3, when voters decide whether or not to rescind the controversial fee. Bob Miller, head of Malden Taxpayers for Accountability, the group leading the repeal drive, said Manship and other officials are sidestepping the larger issue of deception in city government. "[The savings argument] still doesn't excuse the way the government conducted itself," Miller said. "It all comes down to, do the ends justify the means?" The Council passed PAYT last summer without holding any public hearings on the matter. The goal was to raise $2.5 million and save $600,000 in solid waste disposal costs, officials said. In order to have their trash picked up, residents are required to purchase City of Malden trash bags, at a cost of $20 or $10 per box. Weekly recycling also is mandated, according to a city ordinance. Miller noted that state environmental officials recommend towns give ample time for public comment before launching a program such as PAYT. In addition, he said, state officials suggest several other programs to increase recycling in cities and towns, a goal his group supports. "We've never been against recycling," he said. Councilor Greg Lucey, chair of the Finance Committee, stands by PAYT. "I supported it with my fingers crossed," Lucey said. "I kept thinking, 'Is it going to work?' And it has."
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