Large red containers will occupy the kitchens and pantries of more area residents in the next few weeks as the state's mandatory recycling program continues to expand.

State College Borough residents, serviced on Fridays for regular trash pickup, received the plastic containers last Friday and will have their recycled materials picked up for the first time this week.

By the end of March, about 17,000 residents in Centre County will be asked to recycle trash. And by the end of this week, 8,000 State College and Bellefonte area residents will have recyclable materials picked up.

"We are currently expanding the program," said Centre County Recycling Coordinator Irene Ferrara. "We want to put the routes into place."

The recycled material will be picked up by separate collection agencies than regular trash collection, Ferrara said. Recyclable paper, glass, metal and plastic materials must be separated from other trash by the residents, she said.

Citizens have been very cooperative and excited by the program, Ferrara said.

"I'm so grateful we're finally recycling," said Margaret Post, 815 N. Science Park Road. "Some people may complain to avoid the work, but it's not a problem."

Ferrara said, "The recycled material is collected like other trash, but is placed in the red rectangular boxes."

Instructions for separating recyclable goods are given with the containers, Ferrara said.

"It's easy to do, but the containers don't appear large enough," Budd Brooks, 1901 N. Allen St., said. "I think there is a lot of waste of natural resources. By recycling we'll be re-using material," he added.

The state's recycling legislation, known as Act 101, makes Pennsylvania the largest state in the nation to require recycling. The law will eventually require 8 million Pennsylvanians to recycle their trash, according to information released by the Department of Environmental Resources.

Act 101 first allocated funds for recycling programs and planning last April, said DER spokesman Dan Spadoni. The law was passed to institute a statewide program for recycling glass, plastic, metal and paper products.

Programs for curbside pick-up of recyclable products are in effect in some areas of Bellefonte, State College, and Ferguson and Patton townships, Ferrara said. New pick-up routes will begin this week in Harris Township and part of State College Borough.

The material collected in this area is compacted at the Intermediate Processing Facility at the Centre County Solid Waste Authority, across from the Nittany Mall on Route 326. The Authority sent 732 tons of material to reprocessors last year and expects that amount to increase in proportion to the expanding program, Ferrara said.

Included in the legislation are state grants covering a percentage of municipal program costs. Up to 90 percent of equipment, 50 percent of salary, and 80 percent of solid waste management costs of municipal programs are absorbed by the state, Spadoni said.

DER awarded 18 million dollars last year to communities developing recycling and trash management programs. In its first year, the legislation also funded 205 curbside recycling collection programs, according to information released by DER.

According to DER, $23 million was collected in the form of a fee paid by landfills and resource recovery facilities. The fee is $2 on every ton of waste collected by the facilities.

State grants are allocated from the collection fee to municipalities that have applied for aid in setting up recycling programs, Spadoni said. Applications were accepted and reviewed by DER on a previously arranged timetable, he added.