Highlights:

• Portland, Oregon releases results of an audit of the solid waste franchise and rate setting
  process administered by the city's Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS)
• Audit found that customers with large waste rollcarts pay more than those with small ones.  They found no clear evidence that the price difference provided an incentive to reduce waste
• Audit recommends that BPS either eliminate these incentives and disincentives or clarify the rationale and expected outcome of the changes to the basic rates. 
• Director of BPS defended practice by saying "Portland incorporates these incentives into rates to provide a clear financial motivation for households to reduce the amount of garbage they generate"
• A future audit is planned to study the collection system

Read the full audit results and response from the Director of BPS.

From the article:

 A new audit says the city of Portland should stop making residents with bigger garbage cans subsidize those with smaller ones.

The auditor said it’s not clear whether the extra charges for the biggest roll-out carts are necessary now.

The program was designed back in the 1990s to encourage people to recycle more.