The streets and alleyways in Mission Beach will be black and blue this fall with trash and recycle bins. In October, the city’s Environmental Services Department (ESD) will expand its curbside recycling program to include Mission Beach, the last San Diego community without a curbside program. “We’ve had a lot of requests for recycling in Mission Beach,” said Stephen Grealy, deputy director for the city’s Waste Reduction and Disposal Division. “Various people we’ve spoken with said they want curbside recycling.” When ESD started its curbside recycling program citywide a decade ago, Mission Beach residents balked at the idea of having the big, blue recycling containers in the community. But Grealy said since then, continuous requests for the bins rolled in, and four years ago a large portion of the community decided it wanted the program. “We understand that it is a difficult community and that’s why there has been a delay in getting the service,” Grealy said. “So we’ve done the opposite approach to what we had when we rolled out curbside recycling citywide.” Instead of notifying locals as they did in other San Diego communities, Mission Beach residents received a postcard from ESD and were asked to reply only if they wanted the blue cans at their residence. “It’s a way of making sure that people are actually putting their hand up for a bin,” Grealy said, “and the assumption is they’re not going to have the space issues or the issues that led to us not rolling it out the first time around.” Of the 3,200 postcards ESD originally sent out, Grealy said the department received 400 responses. The deadline to respond to the postcards to receive cans at no cost was June 18, but ESD has extended that timeline to the end of June. Those who don’t respond with a request at that time will get hit with a $25 delivery fee. Mission Beach residents who did not receive cards or who want to put in a request for curbside recycling bins can call ESD’s customer service line at (858) 694-7000. Residents who don’t send back their card or call in with a request will not receive a bin. Curbside recycling in Mission Beach is not mandatory, and those who wish to recycle without a blue bin are still free to do so. But once the curbside program starts in October, the city’s recycling ordinance will be in effect in Mission Beach. “If you opt out, you have to use the community recycling containers or some other method of recycling,” Grealy said. The ordinance, which has been in effect throughout the city since 2008, penalizes residents who recycle improperly or throw trash away improperly with fines of up to $1,000. Blue recycling bins will be delivered to Mission Beach the last week of September. Curbside recycling in Mission Beach will start the first week in October, with pickup scheduled for the same day as trash day. For more information, visit www.sandiego .gov/environmental-services/recycling.