Ready or not, curbside recycling is coming to several Richland neighborhoods in May. It’ll start May 11 in one North Richland neighborhood, two central Richland neighborhoods, and one in South Richland. (scroll below for maps of each area) It’s a pilot project that will run through the end of the year, and if all goes well, could be expanded to cover the whole city after that.

City officials are making an economic case for the program, saying it costs about $20/ton to dump trash in the Richland landfill, while recycling can make the city about $23/ton.

Residents in the affected neighborhoods will start getting new, blue recycling containers this week, and can also put in a request for green waste containers, too. (Call 942-7490 for that.) There’s a very detailed list of what you can and cannot put in the recycling bins. Things like phone books, paper milk cartons, cereal boxes, and cardboard are recyclable … but things like glass, plastic bags, frozen food bags, and food-contaminated paper plates/napkins are not. (This is what drove me crazy when I used to live part-time in Seattle — it’s impossible to remember the distinctions they make for recyclable items.)

Maps of the impacted neighborhoods are below. You can get a larger city map, a chart showing what can and can’t be recycled, and other information on the city’s web site.

Richland Recycling Neighborhoods

What are your thoughts on Richland’s recycling program? Good idea? Nuisance? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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