PARKERSBURG – People can begin enrolling in the city’s new subscription-based curbside recycling program on Friday.

Meanwhile, the free community recycling collection at the city’s 24th Street facility is set to end May 1.

Parkersburg City Council approved the final reading of the ordinance authorizing the contract with Rumpke Waste & Recycling in a 5-3 vote, with one member absent, in February. Under the three-year agreement, residents who wish to participate in curbside recycling will be charged an additional $3 a month, on top of the $1.50 surcharge included in the $21-a-month sanitation fee for all residents.

The city suspended curbside recycling in May, citing manpower issues that eventually led it to seek contracts for both recycling and solid waste removal. A contract with Waste Management for the latter service remains on hold as a citizen committee collects signatures for a referendum petition to get council to repeal the ordinance or put it before residents on a future ballot.

According to a release issued by Parkersburg Mayor Tom Joyce Tuesday, participating households will receive a complimentary 95-gallon recycling cart from Rumpke and their recyclables will be picked up bi-weekly.

Residents can enroll in the program by phone by calling Rumpke at 1-800-828-8171 or online at rumpke.cc/parkersburgrecycles. After May 8, residents will have to call the toll-free number to sign up.

Delivery of recycling carts is scheduled to begin May 4, with collection services starting May 18.

“This curbside program represents a practical, robust and fair approach in providing residential curbside recycling services in Parkersburg,” Joyce said in the release. “By partnering with Rumpke, we can provide residents with a reliable and convenient recycling option that is both cost-effective and of high quality. We appreciate the residents’ patience as we worked toward this solution, and I encourage residents to take advantage of this new opportunity, especially those wishing to offset solid waste generation.”

Effective May 1, the Wood County Solid Waste Authority will suspend collection of recyclables at the city’s Municipal Recycling Facility at 100 24th St. Joyce has said the use of the facility by commercial haulers and residents from outside the city led to Parkersburg residents subsidizing that service. The center had an operating loss of nearly $3.8 million from fiscal year 2019 to 2025.

Wood County Solid Waste Authority Director Sarah Robinson said they have no choice but to suspend collection because the city is closing the center.

“We don’t have anybody to empty those bins, store the material, sell it, because it all went to the recycling center,” she said. “We’re talking to different companies (to) try to find a collab or partnership with somebody to collect the recyclables.”

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.