Q: What day do I recycle?

A: In general, every day is the best day to recycle, Brookhaven Mayor Joe Cox said. But specifically, recycle day is Monday in Brookhaven.

Beginning Monday, Arrow Disposal Service Inc. will begin emptying recycle carts that are placed at the curb, he said.

Monday is the start of the city’s three-year contract with the Alabama-based company which will also be collecting garbage in the city Tuesday through Friday each week.

ADSI also holds the contract for the county, but does not operate recycling outside of Brookhaven.

Waste Pro and Arrow are working together for a smooth transition.

“Waste Pro will run their routes one day ahead of the Arrow routes,” said James Laird, who answers the city’s garbage hotline.

As part of the switchover, Waste Pro will be running its routes one day prior to Arrow, starting Monday. That means if a customer’s new pickup day — which was posted on the new blue cans delivered recently — is Tuesday, Waste Pro will pick up garbage in its carts Monday. If the Arrow pickup is Wednesday, Waste Pro will be by on Tuesday to collect garbage from its carts.

After Arrow runs its route on the designated days, the contractor Curbside Cart Masters of Rector, Arkansas, will follow behind and pick up the Waste Pro carts and small, rectangular, open-top recycle bins.

Those who have not received a 35-gallon covered recycle cart should contact Laird by phone or text at 601-835-8025 to be placed on a list. More carts are expected to arrive soon, he said.

The city’s recycle program began in August 2012. The cost is included in customers’ monthly garbage bill.

The mayor believes that once-a-week garbage pickup could lead to an increase in recycling.

“Statistics show that those who have household garbage picked up once a week tend to recycle more,” Cox said. “It’s a good practice to start.”

Items that can be recycled include:

• Plastics: beverage bottles and milk cartons

• Paper: office paper, newspaper, junk mail, magazines and cardboard

• Metal: aluminum and steel cans

Those items that cannot be recycled are chemical containers that held liquids such as auto fluid or pesticides, electronic equipment of any type, plastic garden hose, plastic lawn chairs, plastic garbage cans, plastic toys that do not contain the Plastic #1 (PETE) and Plastic #2 (HDPE) symbols, gas, plastic foam, plastic bags and soiled paper or cardboard such as greasy pizza boxes.

Recycle bins are also located throughout the city for recycling plastic bottles.