Curbside recycling starts Monday in Brookhaven.

     Over the past few weeks, city residents have received their 96-gallon green and blue trash cans along with their blue 18-gallon recycling bins. The smaller bins are to be used for recycling.

     Recycling collection will occur once a week, with the day depending on when garbage is collected, officials said. Residents with Monday/Thursday garbage pickups dates will have their recyclables collected on Mondays, with those on a Tuesday/Friday cycle picked up on Tuesdays. County residents will not have access to curbside recycling.

     Ward Six Alderman and Brookhaven Recycling Committee Chairman David Phillips said he hopes the program sees a great deal of use.

     “The Recycling Committee would like to take this opportunity to encourage all of our residents to take advantage of recycling,” he said. “We hope the convenience will increase participation from about 15 percent now to 65 percent or more. I believe Brookhaven residents will see the benefits and will want to be good stewards of their environment.”

     Waste Pro Site Manager Doug Atkins said the most important thing is to make sure the recyclables and trash are out for pickup by 7 a.m.

     “We have two trucks that run the city full time, and they get started at 7 a.m.,” said Atkins. “We’re running into people putting out their trash a little later.”

     He said trash and recyclables will be collected separately. Therefore, just because one has been picked up and the other has not does not mean it’s been missed.

     “Many folks will be calling us if their recycling has not been picked up, but their garbage has,” Atkins said. “The recycling truck may be behind the garbage truck or vice versa.”

     Atkins said items that will be collected include paper, cardboard, plastics one and two and aluminum cans. Styrofoam and glass will not be picked up. All items must be empty and cleaned to be picked up.

     “We definitely don’t want glass bottles or anything glass in (the bins),” he said. “Make sure all bottles are rinsed out.

     “We don’t want anything with any food in it. If there is anything with food in it, cats and dogs will get into the recycling bins,” he continued. “Everything needs to be able to fit in that blue bin.”

     Atkins said if a resident expects to be a heavy user of the recycling program and they need an additional bin, just call Waste Pro’s Jackson office at 855-838-6778.

     Atkins said he’s been surprised at how many people appear ready to utilize the curbside recycling.

     “We didn’t think it would be much at first, but since we delivered the blue bins people have already been putting them out,” he said. “Many people have started before we got started. About 65 percent of people are recycling already. That’s promising. We think it’ll only increase from there.”