Recycling in Honesdale will be a whole lot simpler beginning October 15. That’s when the new policy of single-stream collection begins in the borough. And Honesdale residents will no longer have to separate recyclables into different bins for collection at the curb.

Scott Smith, chairman of the borough’s finance committee, announced a new contract with Waste Management (WM) of Beach Lake that enabled the switch.

“It’s going to be a lot easier for residents and for our workers,” said Rich Doney, head of the borough’s Department of Public Works (DPW).

Once a month, DPW workers will pick up the recyclables and take them to the WM site on Rosencrance Road in Beach Lake. The service will be free. The DPW crews will pick up recyclables on the third week of every month—the schedule used for recycling since the mid 1980s. The borough has been divided into a grid system with a day assigned for recyclable collection. Residents have to provide their own containers.

Several years ago, the borough received a grant to purchase large blue containers and distribute them free to residents. Smith said he is hoping the borough will be successful with a similar grant but that hasn’t happened yet.

Doney said that no container should be larger than 20 gallons. Residents can use plastic bags but they must be clear plastic so workers can see what the bags contain.

“As long as the containers are curbside, residents can have as many as they can fill,” Doney said.

“After the Honesdale project is in operation a few months, we’ll see how much it will affect our recyclable collection,” said Randy Heller, Wayne County Director of Solid Waste.

Readers can find more information, including the enlarged list of items that can be recycled, and the schedule, by visiting www.honesdaleborough.com or by calling 570/253-0731.