An Ulman administration bill seeking to shift recycling expenses into the county's trash budget could lead to higher fees for residents.

The measure would move recycling collection costs from the general budget to a dedicated trash fund supported by a $175 annual fee paid by taxpayers. In addition to combining similar functions, the purpose is to raise awareness and use of recycling, County Executive Ken Ulman said.

"What goes from your house to the curb should be in the same fee," Ulman said this week.

The trash fee raised $14 million for this fiscal year, which is close to what the county expects to pay for trash disposal, according to public works director James M. Irvin. Shifting recycling costs to that fund would mean more revenue would be needed to cover costs.

County officials also expect trash expenses to jump in a few years, and say more recycling can limit cost increases by controlling trash volume and boosting receipts from sales of recyclables.

"The big issue is that our [trash disposal] contract expires in 2013 and the costs are going to go up dramatically," Irvin said. "Right now, recycling is making a very good amount of revenue for the county."

The county is projecting $1.4 million in sales of recycled materials this fiscal year, though it costs $5 million for collections.

The bill, which includes other refuse service-related items, has received little public attention, and no County Council members questioned Irvin when he testified on the bill at the March 17 public hearing. But if the council votes to approve the measure April 7, the budget shift would likely force an increase in the trash collection fee. The legislation gives the council final say on any fee changes.

Asked Monday whether he would seek an increase in the trash fee, Ulman said "We may."

"The driving factor [in the bill] is to get it into one fee," Ulman said, adding that residents of some neighboring counties pay more than Howard homeowners.

In Baltimore and Baltimore County, residents pay for trash and recycling collections through their annual property tax payments. Howard residents pay a separate fee, established by former executive Charles I. Ecker in 1996. The $125 fee was raised $50 in 2005 by then-executive James N. Robey.

Anne Arundel County residents pay $275 a year for twice-a-week trash and once-a-week recycling collections, a spokesman said. Annapolis city residents pay $380 a year, and in Prince George's County, the charge is $319.

In Carroll County, where residents must hire their own trash and recycling collectors, one firm charges $264 a year, a company official said.

But Ulman also wants to drive up awareness of recycling. The executive wants countywide distribution of large wheeled recycling bins, which have boosted collections 25 percent since September on one Elkridge route used as a pilot program.

The covered bins encourage recycling because residents can toss in materials without separating them, then wheel them to the curb for collection, said Evelyn Tomlin, chief of the county Bureau of Environmental Services.

"It's trash or it's recycled. It's the same thing," Tomlin said.

Prices that the county is getting for materials it collects are soaring, especially mixed paper, Tomlin said.

If the county decides to pay for the new bins, it could cost $4 million -- nearly equal to the $3.6 million the county would save in the general fund budget if Ulman's bill is approved.

Council members Courtney Watson, an Ellicott City Democrat, and Greg Fox, a Fulton Republican, said they see the issue as one to be hashed out in this spring's budget deliberations.

Councilwoman Mary Kay Sigaty said she agrees with Ulman on the need to combine recycling and trash -- in residents' minds as well as in the county budget.

"Tying these two together is a way for people to think about recycling -- more extensive recycling," she said.

larry.carson@baltsun.com