Kansas City has delivered nearly 10,000 new recycling carts so far. When to expect yours

Thousands of lucky Kansas City residents now have brand new recycling carts.

Since introducing the carts at the start of May, the city has delivered them to nearly 10,000 households across the city — 9,689 as of Tuesday, to be exact, according to Sherae Honeycutt, a spokesperson for the city.

Between now and September, it aims to deliver recycling carts to nearly 162,000 homes.

The recycling carts will replace Kansas City’s current system where residents can purchase an open top bin from an area hardware or grocery store or just put their recycling out in a paper bag or cardboard box.

City leaders hope the new carts will encourage more people to recycle, ideally reducing the amount of waste that the city is sending to landfills. The lidded carts will also hopefully help keep recycled items from blowing away from the curb and animals from scavenging through items before collection time.

When will I get my new recycling cart?

Residents will get their new recycling carts based on their trash day.

Neighborhoods that get their trash picked up on Mondays will get their carts first.

The next group of people to get their carts will be those who have trash service on Tuesdays, and so on. The city didn’t provide details about how long each phase will take.

Its goal is to get carts to those with Friday trash collection by September.

What do the carts look like?

The carts are property of the city, and each will be dark blue with a yellow top and have a small RFID chip, which will be registered to each address to help the city track any misplaced or lost carts.

Which homes will get a recycling cart?

Every household currently receiving curbside recycling service from the city will get a new cart that will be registered to their address. The carts will be delivered to residences free of charge.

Each unit in apartment buildings that have six or fewer units will get their own recycling cart. So for example, if the apartment building has four addresses, that building will receive four carts, Honeycutt said.

Neighborhoods that privately contract for trash service, businesses and apartments with more than six units will not be eligible for curbside recycling pick up.

What if I lose my cart or it gets damaged?

Michael Shaw, the city’s public works director, said the chips will also be used to monitor whether a cart was picked up for collection. If anything does happen to the carts, the city will maintain the repairs and replacement of the carts for residents.

“It’s about quality control. We’ll also know if the carts are in the right location,” Shaw said during a South KC Alliance community meeting in March.

How will the carts work with street parking?

Residents will still be able to put their new recycling carts on the curb, even while cars are parked on the street, according to Honeycutt.

Each week, the city sanitation workers will roll the carts from the curb onto the street so they can empty them into the truck.

How early can I put my cart outside for pickup?

The recycling carts can be placed on the curb no earlier than 3 p.m. the day before the scheduled day of collection and no later than 7 a.m. on trash day.

“So, if your trash collection is Tuesday, you should not put your trash out before 3pm on Monday,” Honeycutt said.

How should residents store the new recycling carts?

In general, the carts should not be in front of the property or on the curb outside of trash day. Residents are encouraged to keep their cart behind their house, in the backyard.

Residents can also put the carts on the side of their home, as long as they are not on a corner lot, so the cart isn’t visible from the street, according to the ordinance on city collection.

Residents can also keep their carts in their garage or in a shed, if they have them.

Will there be fines for people who don’t put their cart back on their property after pick up?

The fine for not putting the recycling cart back on the curb after pickup or for not storing the cart properly is $50.

“Generally, we would not fine the resident on the first occurrence of a violation. We prefer to work with the resident and educate them on the rules instead of issuing an immediate fine,” Honeycutt said.

How can residents opt out of the new recycling carts?

Any household can choose to opt out of receiving a recycling cart if, for example, they don’t have space for it. To opt out of getting a new cart, contact 311 or download the myKCMO app to put in a request.

What should residents do with their current recycling bins?

If you want to get rid of your black recycling bin, leave a note on the bin that says “take with trash” and the city sanitation workers will grab it with the rest of the trash.

Can I keep using my old recycling bin with the new one?

Yes. Residents can still use their old recycling bin along with the new recycling cart, according to city officials.

“However, we would prefer they use the cart primarily. The goal of the carts is to allow people to recycle more, but also to reduce litter,” Honeycutt said.