County residents reminded to begin using recycling carts on Monday

Sarasota County’s single-stream recycling system begins Monday, Jan. 6 in unincorporated neighborhoods, which means residents will need to roll their new carts to the curb instead of stacking red and blue bins.

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. Delivery of the new blue carts began in November.

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. 

According to the county:

• Trucks will use a robotic arm to lift and empty the recycling carts.
• When placing the cart at the curb, keep the cart at least three feet away from other objects such as mailboxes, utility poles and cars.
• With the transition to single-stream recycling, there will be no changes to the current schedule for curbside collection services for trash or yard waste. 
• Only place items accepted by Sarasota County's recycling program as indicated on the cart lid and in the packet delivered with the cart.
• The carts are only for recyclable materials and should not be used for trash or yard waste. 

And what about those bins from which separated recyclable materials were formerly collected? County authorities say residents are welcome to keep them and repurpose their uses or bring them to one of several locations between Jan. 6-31 for disposal. The sites:

• Betty J. Johnson North Sarasota Public Library, 2801 Newtown Blvd., Sarasota;
• Fruitville Public Library, 100 Apex Road, Sarasota;
• Gulf Gate Public Library, 7112 Curtiss Ave., Sarasota;
• Frances T. Bourne Jacaranda Public Library, 4143 Woodmere Park Blvd., Sarasota;
• Elsie Quirk Public Library, 100 W. Dearborn St., Englewood;
• Longwood Run Park, 6050 Longwood Run Blvd., Sarasota;
• Twin Lakes Park, 6700 Clark Road, Sarasota;
• Englewood Sports Complex, 1300 S. River Road, Englewood;
• Chemical Collection Center, 8750 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota. During operational hours;  
• Citizens' Convenience Center, 400 Knights Trail Road, Nokomis. During operational hours; 
• Chemical Collection Center, 250 S. Jackson Road, Venice. 

Residents are asked to follow posted signs at drop-off locations, located by area dumpsters. Old recycling bins should not be dropped off inside the libraries or park buildings