Newspapers can mingle with metal, glossy magazines with plastic, mail with glass. And condominiums can finally recycle.
This sudden marriage of all things plastic and paper, metal and glass, begins Jan. 8 with the city's revamped and streamlined recycling program.
Yesterday, Mayor Sheila Dixon announced this weekend's kickoff of single-stream recycling with the sale of bright yellow recycling bins at four city locations tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and one on Sunday.
"Citizens no longer need to sort their recycling," said Dixon. "Everything -- papers, cans, plastic -- everything goes together. It all goes out the same day for collection.
"I know that in the past recycling was somewhat cumbersome," she added. "The process discouraged many from doing it. So this is a great opportunity to increase" recycling.
The 25-gallon bins will be sold for half-price this weekend only, costing $6 each. The 18-gallon bins will cost the regular $5. After this weekend, recycling bins can be bought at the city's Department of Public Works yard at 111 Kane St., Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
But residents need not furiously scramble to snag one of the 10,000 bins the city has ordered.
City public works crews will pick up recyclables in any marked container or recyclable box -- provided residents do not use plastic bags, which must be recycled at local grocery stores.
The news is being hailed by community groups across the city.
Steve Gondol of the Patterson Park Neighborhood Association said the new program will improve public participation.
"It will make recycling more convenient by eliminating the need to sort recyclables and reduces the unsightly trash bags that oftentimes line the city streets," he said.
"Single-stream recycling is yet one more tool residents can use to reduce the amount of household waste entering the landfill," he added.
City officials predict that the new system, in place in Anne Arundel, Carroll and Howard counties, could boost recycling by more than 16 percent, or 2,000 tons annually. The city collects about 12,000 tons of recyclable material a year.
Residents now place bottles, cans and some plastic outside on one designated day, and paper and cardboard on a different day.
Under the new system, residents will be able to throw away all recyclables on the same day -- the day now designated for paper, which varies depending on the neighborhood. The biweekly collection will be the second and fourth Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday of each month. Downtown collection will remain every Tuesday and Friday night.
