One goal for the Health and Sanitation Committee this year is putting a designated recycling truck on the streets.
Councilwoman Missy Langston, who chairs the committee, reminded the board Tuesday night that the city was approved for a grant to pay for the truck, but she found out officials needed more information to process it.
Langston, on the county subcommittee that submitted the grant, plans to follow up on the status of refiling the grant.
Public Works director Rick Mosley said the truck would encourage more people to recycle because some are under the false impression the recyclables are taken to the landfill.
The blue bags are supposed to be tossed into a separate hub in the garbage truck. They are taken to Nuway Recycling, while the garbage goes to the landfill.
"When people see it go in the truck, they think it's going down there (to the landfill)," Mosley said. "It's been a problem. We've got to take it out of the cycle, completely, and get something separate."
Responding to a question from Councilman John Musgraves, Mosley said it is difficult to say how much residents recycled last year, which saw the city implement a weekly curbside pickup and hand out blue bags.
Langston said she would get a report from Nuway.
"There's more and more of it," Mosely said of recycling. "It's just sporadic. Like you said before, I think we need to get something designated for that. I think more people will get involved."
Langston also asked Mosley to begin leaving blue bags when the sanitation workers pick up recycleables.
"That would be pretty simple," he responded.
Meanwhile, the board also discussed changing language in the proposed ordinance that establishes trash and rubbish that can be placed on the curb for pick up.
The height limitation was inadvertently left out of the proposed ordinance, which has been read twice by the Council. After the next reading, the measure would be eligible for adoption.
The board agreed the 4-foot height needed to be added to the 4 feet wide, 8 feet long dimensions.
Langston said she would check with city attorney Mike Bearden on whether to amend the ordinance or start over.
The councilwoman noted she had one complaint on the proposal -- a resident called limiting the piles, "a joke."
The man said he and most of his neighbors don't usually put out large piles, and when they do spring cleaning they are probably larger than the 4-by-8 restriction. But most of the year he doesn't use it.
Langston acknowledged the man had a good point.
"Don't let it accumulate," Musgraves said. "Put some out, a little bit at a time."
Mosley added: "We're not going to be out there with measuring tape. If it's close, we're going to get it. We just get into situations where it's so much, you'll tie up an hour at one house."
mbrasfield@blythevillecourier.com