Lost recycling bins give some in Roxbury the blues

Not only were the old newspapers, magazines, and cans missing, but the small, blue recyclilng containers were also gone.

“Usually there are a bunch of bins on the sidewalk, but there was none,’’ recalled Walker, who has lived in the Highland Park section of Roxbury for a decade.

And he and his neighbors are out of luck if they want a replacement: The city has stopped distributing the small, 14-gallon blue bins, in favor of large, garbage-can-like containers that are difficult to store in small apartments.

“This is ridiculous,’’ said Peter Lee, 64, a Fort Avenue resident who has been firing off e-mails to residents about the missing bins. “Basically, people have been left with nothing to put their recycling in.’’

The case of the missing recycle containers has became a source of confusion and frustration in this quiet Roxbury neighborhood and has put fresh focus on the city’s new recycling program that features 64-gallon carts that boasts lids, wheels, and long, sturdy bodies.

The city began rolling out the monster carts to the neighborhoods this summer, to contain a mix of different recyclable items. Previously, residents had to separate their recyclables by material.

By next July, the city is scheduled to distribute 55,000 of the carts across the city.

The carts have been a boon for homeowners with yards and driveways for easy storage and access.

But for the row house dwellers on Fort Avenue, they have been a headache. They have no front yard, no driveway, no alleyway between their home and their neighbors, and no easy place to store and retrieve the containers.

“For us, we would have to take them from our backyard, walk through our [back] gate, . . . past four houses, then down an alley, and alongside the row houses to get to our front door,’’ said Kate Rooney, who lives on Fort Avenue.

Too much of a hassle, she said.

Dennis Royer, the city’s chief of public works, concedes that some miscalculations were made in the verification and distribution of the large carts.

But residents do not have to keep the large containers if they don’t want them, he said.

“We don’t want people to have something they don’t want,’’ he said. “That’s not the intent of the program . . . [which] is to encourage people to maximizing their recycling. If it is a case of they don’t want it, we will take it back.’’

Susan Cascino, the city’s recycling director, said the larger containers have been successful, adding that they are still available for residents’ use.

Those who don’t want them can request recycling stickers to place on any other kind of container, indicating the items inside are not trash. Residents have been sent a guide on the new program.

Joseph Ricupero, co-owner of East Boston-based Capital Waste Services, said his company has not received any complaints from residents or the city that his crews are allegedly removing bins, big or small, on Fort Avenue or any other parts of the city.

“This the first time I’m hearing of it,’’ said Ricupero. “My guys shouldn’t [take] the bins, and as far as I know they are not taking them. . . . I can’t understand why it is happening to Fort Hill. Maybe someone is taking them for their own personal use. But my guys are not doing that.’’

Highland Park residents began noticing that their small recycling bins were disappearing about two weeks ago, and later some residents discovered that the monster ones they had been given as an alternative were also gone.

“I thought that it was really strange,’’ said Caroline Calloway, a Fort Avenue resident whose new cart was taken. “One week they gave us these bins; then the next week they were gone.’’

Royer and other city officials also contend that without eyewitnesses, it is difficult to know who took the blue containers.

Only city sanitation workers are allowed to remove them, he said.

He said his department has received the smaller bins from residents in other neighborhoods, which he will redistribute to the Roxbury residents who request them.

With no small bins or wheeled carts to keep their recyclables, residents have had have to make do, storing items in paper bags, empty diaper boxes, and other bins they have purchased.

The whole saga has irked Lee, who voiced frustration that the city chose to roll out the monster carts in a place that does not need them.

“It was a dumb decision,’’ he said. “There are a lot of places that can’t use the big carts. They should have thought this through.’’

Royer contended that without the ability to go door to door ahead of time, the city did the best it could.

“We are trying to be flexible here,’’ he said. “One system doesn’t fit all.’’

Meghan E. Irons can be reached at mirons@globe.com.