Recycling revamp off to rocky start in St. Paul, Minn.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) - The city has decided to revamp the way residents recycle in St. Paul, Minnesota, but it’s off to a rocky start.

They've traded in their curbside recycling bin for carts, but there's been a sharp learning curve, even for trash companies.
 
In the last five weeks, complaints have streamed in – everything from missed pickups and material the trucks allegedly leave behind to alleyways where access can be very tough.

"The first week, everybody expected it,” Cassandra Berg, a St. Paul resident, said. “The second week, we started to get concerned.”

In January, Eureka Recycling began the first year of a five-year contract with the City of St. Paul.

As part of the deal, pickup would move to alleyways where new carts could allow for the collection of more material.

"They can operate the joy stick from the side of the truck so it is much more efficient,” Co-president of Eureka Recycling Kate Davenport said.

But, with the added efficiency came hiccups that some say makes them less likely to recycle.

"People are to the point where they want to stop recycling, which is the whole point of the program,” Berg said.

Eureka Recycling and the city both say the kinks are being worked out. If there's one thing everyone agrees on, it's the importance of making this program work.