American Fork residents may soon find themselves recycling, whether they signed up for the service or not.

On Thursday, Gordon Raymond of Allied Waste proposed a new approach that he hopes will become a municipal trend: asking residents to opt out of recycling, rather than opt in.

As it now stands, residents who are interested in recycling are asked to come to the city and sign up for the service. Raymond would like to reverse that.

Most residents are at least not opposed to paying a little each month for recycling, but simply never get around to signing up, he told City Council members. Announcing to residents that everyone will be provided the service at the regular charge, and giving residents 90 days to opt out of the service at no charge, would capture "50, 60, 70 percent of residents," Raymond said.

"I like that idea," said Councilman Rick Storrs.

"It answers concerns about forcing people to do it because they would be able to not do it if they choose," said Councilwoman Sherry Kramer.

"Communication is the key," said Councilman Dale Gunther. "I think recycling is a sort of save-the-planet kind of issue and if we present it where they have an opportunity to opt out, I don't think it would be an issue."

Council members instructed staff to bring a report to a future meeting on how such an opt-out program might be implemented across the city, and how the city could advertise the program.

Before hearing from council members, Mayor Heber Thompson said he was concerned that the opt-out program might be "heavy handed" but later said the city could perhaps offer residents an "incentive" but did not specify what that might be. He said the city has not done enough to advertise recycling.

City staff said they had recently had Boy Scouts assist in taking fliers door to door through parts of the city, encouraging residents to join the recycling program. The city has also put two signs on State Street reading "Recycling: It's easy, it's important."

Raymond said his company is talking with other Utah County cities about the opt-out program. He said that in Highland, 35 percent of residents have signed up for recycling, compared to about 31 percent in Saratoga Springs, 15 percent in Lindon and 14 percent in American Fork. Salt Lake City, which subsidizes its program so that residents do not have to pay a monthly fee, has 90 percent participation, he said.

Councilman Dale Gunther said that as an empty-nester family, he and his wife never fill their garbage pickup can, but routinely fill their recycling bin. He suggested the city work to encourage those residents who are now paying for a second garbage can to switch to a recycling can.