The city council for Tucson, Ariz., voted in favor of beginning a weekly collection effort. The program is expected to begin this July.
The new program, approved by the City Council earlier this week, will start July 1 on the East and West sides and gradually move toward the center of the city.
About 7,800 homes will be added each week until 130,000 households are on the One and One Plus Recycling Program.
For years, city officials have tried to improve Tucson's dismal recycling habits.
A dozen years ago, the City Council set a goal of recycling half of Tucsonans' waste by 2000.
That goal was never reached.
In fact, the city never came close, with the recycling rate at 9 percent now.
Council members unanimously adopted plans to recycle 19 percent of the 300,000 tons of garbage Tucsonans throw away every year.
The city will switch to once-weekly collections of both garbage and recyclables.
The city's second weekly trash pickup will end, but those without a blue barrel after July 1 will continue with twice-weekly trash pickups and twice-monthly recycling collections until they are given a recycling canister.
Eliseo Garza, director of the city's Solid Waste Management Department, told council members that 70 percent of all garbage collected is picked up in the first run anyway.
In a memo to the council, City Manager James Keene recommended the city end its contract with Waste Management Inc., the company that handles Tucson's curbside recycling.
Keene suggested beginning distribution of the blue barrels in May.
The city will use $5.3 million from its $26 million Environmental Reserve Fund to buy the barrels, a second container delivery truck and hopper lids on collection trucks to separate recyclables.
Garza predicted the city will collect about 32,000 tons of recyclable materials next year, which could be resold for at least $500,000.