The city of New Iberia will assume a new recycling schedule next week in an effort to increase participation in the program, city officials said.

Starting Monday, the first full week of the month, recycling in the city will be collected every other week, said New Iberia Mayor Hilda Curry. For example, recycling will be collected Monday through Friday and again Jan. 20 through 24.

Curry said recycling previously was collected every second and fourth full week of the month, which sometimes caused confusion among residents when there was a fifth week.

Allied Waste municipal civil service manager Bobby Guidry told the New Iberia City Council last month he thinks there was a decrease in the number of residents participating in this program in 2013 because the collection schedule was altered to every second and fourth week of the month.

“This past year we had provided twice-a-month services, which the contract had called for, but it may have proved to be a bit confusing to the residents,” he said at the meeting. “We’re hoping that every other week is going to be easier to keep track of services.”

Mayor Pro Tem Dan Doerle said he thinks residents stopped participating because there was confusion, but the new schedule is “clearer and more consistent.”

“I think starting the year off right, having it every other week, I think you’ll see an increase in participation,” he said. “When its easier for the consumer to do something, they’ll do it.”

Doerle said he would like to see Guidry return to the council in six months to address where the city stands with tonnage collected. He said he hopes to see an increase in total recyclable materials collected from New Iberia.

“I think it’s more consistent, and I think it’s a win-win for everybody,” he said.

Only the tall green recycle cans issued by Allied Waste will be collected, according to the website. The blue bins that were used prior to the distribution of the larger, green recycle bins, will not be collected because the program is automated like the garbage collection system.

Residents can recycle aluminum cans, tin and steel cans, plastic, newspapers, cardboard, glass and assorted papers. All items should be rinsed without any liquids or food on or in them, and newspaper should not be bundled.

Aluminum foil or pans, aerosol cans, plastic bags, wax coated boxes, such as milk cartons and juice boxes, colored construction paper, paper plates and light bulbs should not be mixed with recycling, according to the website.

Hazardous materials, car batteries, liquids or paint cans will not collected through Allied Waste and the city no longer will take the items. However, the items should be disposed of properly, according to the city website.

Allied Waste will continue to collect garbage every week in New Iberia as it previously was collected, and the location of the home determines what day the trash will be collected. 

Recycling with Progressive Waste Solutions in Iberia Parish — including the municipalities of Delcambre, Jeanerette and Loreauville, which share in the parish’s contract — has not changed and will continue to be picked up every other week, Monday through Friday, depending on the zone in which the home is located, according to a company representative. 

Yard waste pickup in the city, which includes branches, furniture and other nonhousehold garbage, is done by Gordon’s Disposal-Landfill, LLC and collected every other week. However, the yard waste schedule is done on the week when recycling materials are not collected.

Recyclable materials also can be dropped off from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at The Arc Unlimited Drop-off Center, located at 623 Walton St.

If residents are not certain when recycling will be collected, they can call the city administration at 369-2300 or Allied Waste at 806-2000 for clarification.

Iberia Parish residents who live outside the New Iberia city limits and have questions about recycling or garbage pickup can contact Progressive Waste Solutions at 1-866-914-0777.