KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Starting Monday, Kansas City will start delivering recycling carts to residents’ doors.

City leaders said 162,000 carts will go out to residents in each residential home through the summer. Residents at apartments will not receive recycling carts.

There are enough of the recycling carts for every home in Kansas City, but getting one of the new bins is not mandatory.

Currently, people living inside Kansas City limits put trash in bags and place them at the curb. Recycling goes in a small, open bin next to the trash bags.

Kansas City leaders said the new carts will help residents recycle more and reduce litter since the carts have lids to keep items from blowing across the city.

The city council approved the plan and $5.5 million in funding for recycling carts in June 2022. Part of the funding came from a $1.5 million public-private collaboration.

What can I recycle?

There will be information arriving with the carts to help educate Kansas City residents on how to use them and what can be recycled.

Kansas City’s recycling carts will accept paper, cartons, aluminum and steel cans, and plastic bottles, jugs and jars. All items have to be empty, clean and dry.

Residents will not be able to recycle plastic bags, glass, scrap metal, tanglers like cords and hangers, fast food and takeout, or household hazardous materials in the carts.

Other trash changes

Recycling carts aren’t the only change coming for Kansas City residents.

Another part of cleaning up the city’s trash problem is still in the works. Right now the city council hopes to provide similar trash cats for homeowners in 2024.

The trash bins are expensive, according to Mayor Quinton Lucas, which is part of the reason why they are not available at the same time as the new recycling carts.

Lucas also hopes to expand the leaves and brush pick-up program and create a new program for household compost.