Sensing that recycling will continue to grow among its residents, the Garland town board elected last week to alter its green practices.

According to town clerk Teresa Vaught, the municipality currently utilizes small laundry bin-type containers that are delivered to residents’ homes and picked up twice a month. But Vaught stated in recent months, residents have noted that those containers fill up far too quickly, particularly since a law requiring that plastic bottles be recycled was enacted last October.

“Those containers were too small,” said Vaught, pointing to complaints from residents saying the bins were always overflowing by the time trash is picked up each week.

Since the issue has continued to be a sticky one for the town, the board decided to shift the smaller container to a 96-gallon cart, very similar to the one currently used for residential trash.

This idea came at the suggestion of the town’s trash company, Waste Management. In addition to providing a container to the 375 trash customers, Vaught noted, the company will also change the color of the lid to indicate to people that one is for recycling while the other is for regular trash.

Knowing that the recycling would be an issue, the board also altered its trash rate by $.50 to prepare for the change.

“Our basic trash bill is $11, and now it will be $11.50, starting this month,” said Vaught of the change customers will see in their bills.

Vaught also expressed that the town is not purchasing the containers. They will remain the property of Waste Management.

“We are not buying the carts,” Vaught noted. Had the town opted to buy the containers, each one would cost between $95 and $100 each, and according to the town clerk, that would be out of reach.

In addition, she pointed out that the additional trash fee will not, in any way, help the town.

“We do not profit from this,” said Vaught, noting that the fee increase merely reimburses Waste Management for the containers.

While recycling has increased about 50 percent since last October, Vaught did say that there are a few who have chosen not to participate.

“We still have customers who don’t (recycle), and we can’t force them to do it. We just encourage them,” said Vaught.