Baker City begins curbside recycling pickups, blue carts collected every other week

Households across Baker City had a second cart to roll to the curb as Baker Sanitary Service began the city’s first curbside recycling pickups, with blue bins collected every other week and green garbage carts still picked up weekly. Stephen Henry, the company president, said drivers would appreciate it if customers left the two carts about two feet apart.

The new carts are larger than the old receptacles, with a 95-gallon capacity instead of 65 gallons, giving families more room between pickups. Baker Sanitary said the blue carts are for plastic bottles, cardboard, milk jugs and aluminum cans. Glass jars, motor oil, spray cans and large metal pieces are not accepted in curbside recycling and still have to be taken to the self-serve recycling center at 12th and Campbell streets.

For customers used to Friday trash service, the routine stays familiar. Garbage is still collected every week, while recycling will come through on alternating Fridays, so the blue cart will not be emptied on the same schedule as the green one. Baker Sanitary ordered 4,487 blue 95-gallon rollcarts and a truck for the program, enough to serve residential and commercial customers as the rollout expands across the city.

The start of curbside service also puts Baker City in a different category statewide. The city’s 2020 Census population was 10,099, and the Census Bureau estimated it at 10,135 in 2024. Oregon Department of Environmental Quality says cities with at least 4,000 people must provide recycling services, a standard tied to the 2021 Recycling Modernization Act, which began taking effect in 2025.

Baker City Council approved Baker Sanitary’s curbside recycling plan in July 2024, clearing the way for the company to qualify for state help with startup costs. Baker Sanitary later said it expected about $1.4 million in state support to cover the truck, carts and the cost of hauling recyclables to processing centers. Inside Baker City limits, recycling service is required; outside the city, Baker Sanitary will offer curbside recycling by subscription.

The new collection system arrives alongside higher residential rates. On April 1, weekly garbage customers moved from $19.93 a month to $26.17 before the $1.83 city franchise fee, or $28 with it. Biweekly garbage customers were set at $20.65 before the fee, or $22.10 with it. Baker Sanitary told councilors its rates had not increased since May 2023.