Recycling is soon going to get a whole lot easier for residents in the city of Austin thanks to a new program called Single Stream Recycling that uses larger containers and greatly expands the number of items that can be recycled.

The new 90 gallon containers will start arriving to Austin residents in September. The program will officially begin in October and by the end of the year, all City of Austin Solid Waste Services customers should have the new containers.

Jennifer Herber, with Solid Waste Services, says people will no longer have to separate their recyclables.

"One of the great things about Single Stream Recycling is that it will reduce the amount of trash going into the landfills," she said.

The city will also be able to accept a wider range of materials including cardboard and rigid plastics #1-7. People currently can only recycle plastics labeled #1 or #2.

Herber says another big plus is that people will no longer have to sort their recyclable materials -- they all go in the same cart.

"No more sorting; no more baling up your cardboard -- everything just goes in one place so it's kind of an all in one recycling program," Herber said.

About 5,000 people were part of the pilot program that began in the city about five years ago, when they started using the larger carts.

"The bigger containers are great because it means less clutter in the house and it's easier to use," said East Austin Resident Zachary Fedell.

The pickup for recyclable materials will go from every week to every other week. The city still cannot accept Styrofoam, broken glass or plastic bags.

Round Rock is also looking into the single stream recycling program.