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Frederick officials have made it easier for businesses to recycle.

Today they re-launched a pilot program to promote commercial recycling in downtown Frederick, and hope businesses will participate through the summer.

The single-stream recycling program began late in 2009 with 91 businesses primarily on Market and Patrick streets, said Kara Norman, director of the Downtown Frederick Partnership, a nonprofit organization that promotes downtown business.

Downtown Frederick has about 600 businesses, Norman said.

According to the city's department of Economic Development, Frederick had about 3,000 businesses in 2009, the most recent number immediately available.

City crews collected recyclables six nights a week, but stopped after the blizzards hit in February. The aldermen's decision today re-launches the collection.

The city gave the businesses 90-gallon bins that are marked with the county's recycling sticker to differentiate between recycling and trash. Businesses can also use their own containers if the 90-gallon bins are too large, and can contact the city for the recycling stickers.

"The best part is, it's free," said Alderman Michael O'Connor.

O'Connor (D), who along with Alderman Kelly Russell (D), spearheaded the effort and said he hopes the city will save money, though precisely how much is not clear.

Frederick pays $76 per ton to dump the trash it collects at the county landfill on Reichs Ford Road, compared to $25 per ton for recyclables. If more businesses recycle and reduce the amount of trash they produce, the city saves money.

The city has budgeted $3.8 million to collect waste in fiscal 2011, which begins July 1, but a breakdown of that number was not immediately available.

Clyde Hicks, owner of The Trail House outdoor shop, said the program is easy to use and he encouraged other business owners to embrace it. "I feel sure that it will save money," Hicks said.

Mayor Randy McClement (R) encouraged business owners to "think outside the box" to find ways to recycle, and the Board of Aldermen decided on Wednesday to do just that by creating a committee that will work for four to six weeks to set short-, medium- and long-term recycling goals.

O'Connor said the city is also considering composting food waste, but has immediate way of realizing that goal.

"I would say it's a twinkle [in our eyes]," O'Connor said, adding logistics make it impossible to implement every dreamed-for recycling program. "If we could do it all today, we would."

Norman and the Downtown Frederick Partnership have been working with businesses to encourage their participation, and said city leaders wanted to see if the current pilot recycling program works before expanding it.

"Right now, this is the low-hanging fruit," she said.

But going green does not end with recycling, Alderman Karen Young (D) said. She said the city needs to find other ways to grow sustainably, including limiting carbon emissions and reducing energy use. "The time is right," she said.

O'Connor agreed long-term goals are important, and early success with recycling could drive future programs.

"It's the old adage of ‘how do you eat an elephant?'" O'Connor asked. "One bite at a time."

E-mail Christian Brown at chbrown@gazette.net.