POULSBO — The city’s recycling system is about to be revamped, making the steps to protecting the environment even simpler to take. With the implementation of a new single stream recycling program, Bainbridge Disposal is taking Poulsbo down the easier-than-ever path of keeping the environment healthy and landfills on the decline.

The new system, which includes the use of 64-gallon bins to hold all recycled materials except glass, is expected to begin the first week of September. Plans for the system have been in the works since last year, and new bins will be delivered mid-August.

Currently, materials are sorted into three smaller bins containing glass, mixed paper and mixed containers, but soon the bins will not only take almost all materials together, but they will be larger than before. Kitsap County Solid Waste Recycling Coordinator Dave Peters said he hopes the easier system will encourage more people to keep the planet green.

“Everything is going to go in a 64-gallon cart except for glass,” he said. “We expect to see a big jump in both the number of people recycling and the amount recycled.”

Another bonus of the time-saving system is the addition of cardboard to the list of reusables. Items such as milk cartons can be discarded in the bins alongside the usual recyclables, including aluminum cans, plastic bottles and junk mail.

“Our objective is to get more people to recycle,” said Bainbridge Disposal owner Heather Church. “It’s more convenient, more streamlined.”

Church said 2,200 bins have been assembled so far. The new carts will boast blue lids in conjunction with other recycling containers, as well as wheels in order to make transporting them to the edge of the driveway more manageable. Smaller bins associated with the previous system can still be used for collecting glass.

“They’re no longer having to haul three bins,” Church said. “It’s easier. They’re not having to sort things… and cardboard is definitely the extra benefit to it.”

The new bins will be collected every other week. Once the materials are collected, they are taken to a processing plant and sorted by machine. Items still not accepted include toxic product containers, light bulbs, shredded paper and styrofoam. For more information about curbside recycling and pickup schedules, call Bainbridge Disposal at (206) 842-4882. For additional recycling information, visit www.kitsapgov.com/sw.