The city is ready to begin a new round of curbside recycling by adding 40,000 customers to the program using the gray, green and blue carts.

Recycling pickup will begin the week of May 4 for residents in Waimanalo, Kane'ohe, Wahiawa, Launani Valley, Waipio Acres, Waipio Gentry, Halawa, Pearl City and 'Aiea.

Homes that don't have the three carts should be getting them soon along with instructions, which will be placed inside the bin.

People who have the blue carts and are using them for green waste are being advised to put them out for collection before the end of April to empty them for the start of the program.

Glenn Ida, a Kane'ohe Neighborhood Board member, said the new pickup will be more convenient for him because now he takes his recyclable trash to Castle High School. But Ida said he's concerned that the school could stand to lose money as people put material out for the city.

"I was thinking they should credit that to the school," he said. "That money goes to funding things like sports programs."

Suzanne Jones, the city recycling coordinator, said collections at school bins have dropped in areas where the city's program operates but the city has expanded the schools' recycling capabilities, including allowing them to cash in on HI-5 bottles and cans.

"So I don't think the schools are really seeing a loss," Jones said.

With the addition of these homes, the curbside recycling program has reached more than 60 percent of its goal to provide the service to 160,000 homes by 2010. The project began in Hawai'i Kai and Mililani in 2007.

About 20,000 homes remain on the manual collection system but the city is planning to get these into the curbside recycling program once the 160,000 homes are completed, Jones said. "We don't want to leave anyone out," she said.

The next communities scheduled to begin the program are Foster Village to Makiki, and Kahuku to Kahalu'u in November. Communities scheduled to begin in May 2010 are: Makakilo to Waikele; Waipahu; 'Ewa Beach to West Loch; and Honokai Hale to Makua.