Possible Blue Bag Reforms Unveiled This Month

It's one of the most common questions in our comment section and social media: what is Malden going to do about its blue bags?

Mayor Gary Christenson told residents that his administration was "working on a way to eliminate the blue bags and improve" the city's Pay As You Throw system during his monthly chat with readers in February 2012.

Since then, his office has created a committee of local volunteers comprised of those he said reached out to his administration with concerns about the existing model. 

Now that committee should make an announcement about its findings in "mid-March", according to a tweet from the city's official account. 

That announcement should also include the findings of an non-scientific survey conducted of resident attitudes about the survey. 

A solution won't be as easy as simply suspending the program: If blue bags disappeared tomorrow, the city would need to make up an average of $1.3 million in annual revenue to cover their costs. 

What do you think? How would you change Malden's trash collection services? Remember that the city would need to make up an average of $1.3 million in revenue, should the PAYT program be suspended.