In an effort to boost Oakland's recycling rate, city officials have arranged it so all those items can be tossed together into a new, gray 64-gallon container, which will replace the much smaller blue and yellow tubs now used for recycling.

"We're hoping people who have never recycled before will use the new system because it's really easy," said Becky Dowdakin, the city's recycling program supervisor.

The 95,000 new carts will be delivered to single-family homes and apartment buildings during the next several months.

The new program will allow Oaklanders to recycle their food scraps in a small green pail. Every year, 20,000 tons of food from Oakland ends up in landfills. Recycling the waste allows the scraps — including leftover meat, fish, cheese, poultry and vegetables — to be processed into a rich compost material and used as fertilizer.

To reduce odors, the city recommends lining the food scrap pail with newspaper or a paper bag and using an empty milk carton to hold wet food. It should also be emptied frequently into the large green container, designated for yard and garden clippings.

All recycling, including green waste, will be picked up once a week, throughout the city.

Residents of apartment buildings with four or fewer units will get the same service as single-family homeowners. Additional green waste and recycling containers are available on request, Dowdakin said.

It is up to the managers or landlords of larger apartment buildings to pay an extra fee for the recycling service.

Those apartment buildings already participating in the recycling program will get the new gray containers.

For more information, call Waste Management of Alameda County at 613-8710.

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