Brookhaven has gotten environmentally friendly in a hurry.

     In the span of a few short months, the city has gone from a fledgling voluntary recycling program to a curbside collection plan that is scheduled to start Nov. 1.

     After several months of planning, the city in August kicked off a pilot recycling program with Waste Management. Two bins were set up around town for citizens to voluntarily drop off their recyclable materials, and city leaders were generally pleased with the participation.

     Last month, however, saw city leaders opt to switch garbage collection providers and Waste Pro began its duties Monday. The new contract also calls for once-a-week recyclables pickup.

     As Mayor Les Bumgarner says in a My Turn column elsewhere on this page, the timing between the new contract and a desire for an enhanced recycling effort was perfect. While details about the curbside pickup are still being worked out, citizens should be receiving recycling bins later this month in time for the Nov. 1 start.

     The quick implementation of a curbside recycling program should prove to be welcome move for citizens, the city and the environment.