Sarasota County begins delivery of single-stream recycling carts

Recycling is about to get easier for residents living in unincorporated portions of Sarasota County. 

County staff began rolling out its new single-stream recycling carts Friday. The carts will allow residents to place all recyclable material into one container rather than separating them into two separate bins for collection. 

Nearly 3,400 carts will be delivered Mondays through Saturdays through mid-December. Residents should continue to use the old bins until the single-stream recycling begins Jan. 6. 

Materials will not be collected in the new carts until Jan. 6, said Wendi Crisp, outreach coordinator for Sarasota County Solid Waste. 

"To help residents remember when to begin using the carts, we are encouraging everyone to think, new year, new cart," Crisp said in a statement. 

Sarasota County partnered with organizations such as Waste Management and the Recycling Partnership, a national non-profit that provided a grant to enable the purchase of the new carts. Sarasota-based Single Stream Recyclers will process the materials after collection. 

The switch is expected to cut county costs and increase efficiency. However, residents will see a higher monthly utility bill. 

Annually, a single-family homeowner who pays $159 a year for trash and recycling services will end up paying $186 a year. 

Residents can view a map to anticipate the delivery dates of their cart. 

For more information, residents can call the Sarasota County Contact Center at 941-861-5000 or visit the county website.