Garbage day will change for 50,000 city households next month when the pickup day for recyclables moves earlier in the week.
Public Works Director George G. Balog said that picking up recyclables on the first trash collection day of each week will reduce staff and equipment needs by 30 percent.
The change, which will begin March 6 in 70 neighborhoods, is part of the reorganization of the Bureau of Solid Waste.
Distribution of new recycling schedules to all 233,000 households served by city is under way.
Changing the pickup schedule will ensure the weekly collection of recyclables even during holidays, Mr. Balog said.
On those occasions, recyclables will be picked up on the next regularly scheduled trash collection date.
Baltimore began a recycling program as a pilot project in 1990 and expanded it to include mixed paper collection everywhere in the city in 1991.
The next year, sanitation crews began collecting paper, bottles and cans throughout the city.
In 1992, the city collected 19,021 tons in recyclables from residences and 76,870 tons from businesses.
In 1993, it picked up 13,650 tons of recyclables from residences and 79,477 tons from businesses.
Only figures from the first half of 1994 are available, but they show that 25 percent of the waste picked up by city crews was collected as recyclables -- 18,019 tons from residences and 73,688 tons from businesses.