BIDDEFORD — With the city’s new curbside recycling program less than a week old, already some are complaining about the way it has been set up. On Tuesday, one resident told city council she felt the program was not fair to many in the city.

Under the new system, most residents are provided with two containers, one for trash and one for recycling.

However, there are different rules for commercial residences ”“ buildings with six or more units.

Under city ordinance, these buildings have not been eligible for waste pick-up by the city, cannot participate in the recycling program at all and must hire private waste haulers for trash disposal.

However, some of these large, multi-family complexes were grandfathered, and have been receiving city waste services.

When the new program was approved last month, the council stopped city waste services for some of this group, and didn’t allow them to participate in the recycling program.

For the buildings with six or more units that were allowed to participate in the program, they were given recycling containers at no charge, but they were not supplied with waste containers. Residents of those buildings must dispose of their trash in special bags, which must be purchased.

Sherrie Timme lives in an apartment complex that has six or more units. She said she has to purchase bags to dispose of her waste, while her neighbor, who lives in a building with less than five units, gets a waste container that allows her to dispose of her trash for free.

“Where’s the fairness in that?” asked Timme.

She said she is in favor of a recycling program, but doesn’t like the way the current one is administered.

This program is especially hard for those on a fixed income who live in large apartment buildings and will have to spread their modest income even further, said Timme.

“This can put a big crunch in the budget,” she said.

“Go back to the drawing board,” Timme told the council members.

Councilor Bob Mills, who represents Ward 5, said he has had a number of complaints about the new waste and recycling system from his constituents. He said those in Wards 5 and 2 are most affected by the changes.

He told the council to expect more complaints in the future from residents of Ward 5.

Ward 2 Councilor David Bourque said he has also received a number of complaints.

In addition, he said he is a landlord, and he noted that he pays taxes just like single-family residences.

By not having trash and recycling pick-up, the new program is similar to another tax to be paid by landlords and/or tenants, he said.

Councilor Richard Rhames said the public had been subsidizing the commercial apartment buildings. He said he did have sympathy for low-income residents who had to pay for trash bags to dispose of waste. However, he said, by recycling more it would reduce the amount of trash to dispose of and thus reduce the cost.

— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.