FOLEY, Ala. — A Foley man approached the City Council last week with his frustration about the municipality’s recently changed trash pick-up schedule.

“My service was cut in half, but my bill wasn’t,” said resident William McClintock during last week’s regular mid-December meeting.

The council approved a schedule change this past spring in which the city would begin collecting trash once a week instead of twice weekly. That plan began on Oct. 1, with the recycling pick-up schedule unchanged.

In conjunction with that, the city also purchased rolling, upright recycle containers and have been distributing them in an effort to encourage residents and businesses to recycle.

Last week, Council President Wayne Trawick told McClintock that the changes had produced a change in refuse collection.

“What we’re finding out is the recycling is more than the garbage,” he said.

Trawick also explained that the council’s decision to cut its garbage collection schedule was an effort to keep from raising rates for the service.

“It was becoming an expense that was too great for us,” he said.

Councilman Ralph Hellmich also said the new recycling bins are more user-friendly than the small recycling bins the city previously had.

“With the rolling container, you separate nothing,” he told McClintock. “But you cut your garbage by 50 percent.”

“We also have a run that picks up yard debris,” Councilman Charlie Ebert said.

Hellmich said the refuse-collection shift has forestalled rate increases for trash collection.

“We’re trying to push people to recycle more,” he said.

McClintock said he had previously been unsuccessful in trying to find out about the schedule change.

“I went to the Sanitation Department,” he told the Council. “He couldn’t tell me because he didn’t understand.”

McClintock added that he didn’t even have any type of recycling bin.

Council members advised McClintock to come by City Hall during business hours and to call about getting a rolling recycle bin.

“You can also talk to Leslie Lassiter about composting,” Hellmich said.

“It gets confusing, too, because I was told I needed a permit (to compost),” McClintock said.

But council members reiterated their offer for him to come by during business ours to get complete information and assistance.