And this newspaper better end up in the recycling bin. Or else.

The County Council put the finishing touches Tuesday on a massive rewrite of its solid waste policies, passing 7-0 an inch-thick document that includes a ban on recyclable materials in the trash.

Although the council approved the ban, recycling coordinator Eileen Kao said it is unlikely the long arm of the law will reach inside the trash bags of scofflaws.

Instead the county will try to work with residents.

"I don't expect we'll write a ticket to Harry Homeowner, but we may visit with that person to rectify the situation," Kao said.

Businesses that fail to recycle could receive a notice of violation, which would contain specific steps that should be taken, she said.

If there is no improvement, the regulations contain a $100 fine for a first offense. Then it's $150 a day until the problem is solved, Kao said.

Even though the regulations take effect immediately, no fines will be imposed for a year, said Aron Trombka, a legislative analyst to the council.

The policies and the regulations are part of an effort to increase recycling in Montgomery County, which is now at about 38 percent. The county has long had a goal of recycling 50 percent of its waste.

"The recycling rate is more than a statistical number," Trombka said. "It has very important effects on the size of our facilities, our rates and our budgets."

He noted that a 1 or 2 percentage point increase in recycling could have a significant effect on the county's incinerator, which reached 96.3 percent of its capacity in 2003.

The county burns about 640,000 tons a year at its incinerator in Dickerson and sends about 150,000 tons to a landfill in Virginia. The amount of recycled material is about 450,000 tons a year, Kao said.

In addition to the ban on recyclables in the trash, the new regulations also require mixed paper, Christmas trees and scrap metal to be recycled.

"We're outlining a bold road map for addressing one of our basic infrastructure needs: What to do with our trash," said Council President Thomas E. Perez (D-Dist. 5) of Takoma Park.

The regulations take effect outside the incorporated areas of the county and in those municipalities that have adopted the county's solid waste rules.

The solid waste plan includes a reference to an 820-acre tract along Wasche Road in Dickerson for a new landfill. But the site will not be needed within the next 10 years, it says.