Curbside collection of recyclable materials in unincorporated Jefferson Parish and the town of Jean Lafitte begins today.

The parish trash contractor, Progressive Waste Solutions, will pick up recyclables once a week.

On the east bank, recycling will be picked up on the first garbage collection day each week. On the west bank, it'll be the second collection day of the week.

"And even though Wednesday is July 4th, they're going to pick up, since it's our first week of curbside recycling," says Parish President John Young.

"I think it's very exciting," Young says. "It shows that Jefferson Parish is a progressive parish. It's the socially responsible thing to do and it's the economically prudent thing to do. It'll save space in our landfill."

And, he says they've been able to bring back the curbside service with no cost to residents.

"We've been able to bring back curbside recycling in Jefferson Parish after a seven-year hiatus without any new taxes."

Unlike the pre-Katrina recycling program, there will be no service charge to citizens on their water bills for recycling. The parish will pay Progressive Waste Solutions$1.59 a month per residence, which is lower than the pre-Katrina cost of $1.87 a month per residence.

The parish currently using surplus money from the landfill tax and money left over from an unfinished project to subsidize the service.

Young says the more residents that use it, the more cost efficient it will be. "All residents have to do, is put recycling bins out the night before garbage pickup."

Progressive Waste Solutions began delivering the green, 18-gallon recycling bins to residences in May.

"If you don't have a bin, we want you to call our Environmental Affairs Department and we'll deliver your bin," Young says. "And, if you need more than one bin, we'll make that available to you as well."

ACCEPTED MATERIALS
· PAPER - newspapers and inserts, phone books, catalogs, magazines, junk mail, advertisement mailers/flyers (envelope labels and windows are acceptable), home office paper (sticky notes, manila envelopes, file folders and paper ream wrappers are acceptable),shredded paper (in plastic bags), dark-colored paper, envelopes and folders, greeting cards and paper bags
· BOXBOARD - thin cardboard like cereal boxes, tissue boxes, shoe boxes, soda cartons, etc.
· CARDBOARD - corrugated cardboard
· ALUMINUM - aluminum cans, such as soda cans, and aluminum foil
· STEEL - steel food cans, such as soup cans and tuna cans
· PLASTIC - containers with the triangle recycling symbol on them with # 1 through #7 inside the triangle

MATERIALS NOT ACCEPTED
· Glass containers of any kind
· Containers that held chemicals, pesticides, motor oil, paint, acids
· Plastic grocery bags - Check with your local grocery store, as many local retailers accept plastic shopping bags for recycling.
· Styrofoam egg cartons, packing peanuts
· Aerosol spray cans
· Food and beverage containers with a wax coating

Progressive Waste Solutions also will provide a recycling drop-off container located at 500 Seven Oaks Blvd., in Bridge City, on the west bank. The container is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days per week.