Mayor Rick Kriseman, flanked by city staff and officials, stood on the front lawn of a home in the Old Southeast neighborhood Monday morning, watching and waiting.
At just about 10 a.m., a 37-cubic-yard garbage truck lumbered down 19th Avenue Southeast, stopped in front of the home, scooped up a big blue container full of recyclables and dumped it into the truck.
And so the city’s first day of curbside recycling was under way.
“It’s amazing,” said Kriseman recounting the years it has taken to get a city recycling program, and calling it “a really important undertaking.”
Approved by the City Council in November, the $6.1 million curbside program will provide twice-a-month pickups at about 76,000 homes. Residents will be charged $2.95 a month on their utility bill.