The city of Somerville, Massachusetts, located right outside Boston, has reached an agreement with local recycling center Casella Recycling LLC to implement a "zero-sort" program for residents. While this has been called single-stream recycling in the past, the city hopes that the catchy name will encourage individuals to go the extra mile to put their recyclable material in the proper receptacles, according to The Somerville News.

Mayer Joseph A. Curtatone is hoping that the Board of Aldermen in Somerville will approve the new contract with Casella and will begin to provide the 64-gallon blue bins to residents that participate in the program.

"The question I have been asked most over the past year has been 'When is zero-sort recycling going to branch out to other neighborhoods?'" Mayor Curtatone told the news source. "All your paper, plastics and glass go into the same bin. The pilot was immensely popular and we made it a priority to expand to the rest of the city this year."

In fact, in the areas of Somerville where the zero-sort recycling program was put in place, the city reports that residents scored 10 percent higher with their level of satisfaction as compared to other wards that did not. The new program will be instituted in the same way that it was used in the pilot areas. Residents will receive their bins a week before the program begins and can start recycling their spent material immediately.

With progressive programs such as this spreading all around the country, municipalities are waking up to the reality that making recycling easier for citizens is the easiest way to get them started. By placing everything into one bin and wheeling it out to the curb, city dwellers can do their part to create a greener community.