St. Pete approves curbside recycling for residents

ST. PETERSBURG - Recycling just got a lot easier for St. Petersburg residents.

In a unanimous vote, city council approved Waste Services of Florida Inc. to provide weekly curbside pick up service for recyclables for a monthly fee of $2.75.

In the past, St. Petersburg only had drop off-sites for recycled goods.

A memorandum addressed to the council stated that a 2002 survey indicated 88 percent of the city would participate in a recycling program. Only nineteen percent said they were willing to pay $3 or more.

WSFI, a private company, will lock in the $2.75 monthly fee for the next two years and it will be up to residents to decide whether they want to opt in to the service.

Out of the 80,000 homes in the city, the company hopes at least 25,000 subscribe.

Subscribers leave recyclables - newspaper, cardboard, aluminum cans, and plastic and glass bottles - in one bin.

Council is hoping that the weekly service can begin on October 1.

To set up the service, call WSFI at (727) 572-6800.