By Emily Ford
eford@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY — Changes are coming to curbside recycling in Salisbury.
Free to residents, new big, blue carts will arrive on curbs throughout the city around July 1. The 96-gallon bins are as large as the standard green trash carts.
With arrival of the larger containers, recycling pickup will switch to every other week.
Residents may keep their 14-gallon blue bins. They can continue to use them for recycling or other purposes. Those who no longer want the blue bins should set them on the curb to be, yes, recycled.
People who don’t have space to store another 96-gallon wheeled cart on their property may use the blue bin instead, but it will only get picked up every other week.
The city has signed a $351,829 contract with a new company, Waste Pro of North Carolina Inc. Assistant City Manager John Sofley said the price tag is slightly less than the city currently pays.
“We were very pleasantly surprised,” Sofley said.
The carts are included in the price, which covers one year of service with an option for two annual renewals. There is no fuel surcharge in the contract, Sofley said.
The city has paid as much as $4,000 in fuel charges with the current recycling contract, he said.
Residents have been asking for larger recycling containers with a lid, said Anna Bumgarner, purchasing manager.
With biweekly pickup, residents will have fewer large trucks driving through neighborhoods, Sofley said. He said he expects the city’s recycling fee to remain the same in the coming fiscal year, which starts July 1.
Waste Pro will launch an educational campaign to inform residents about the changes, contacting homeowners and tenants at each address in the city.
The city will continue to offer backyard pickup for elderly or disabled residents. Anyone who wants to request the service can call the Solid Waste Department at 704-638-5256.
Contact reporter Emily Ford at 704-797-4264.