Preparations to implement Madison's mandatory plastic bag recycling program have hit a snag.

The fledgling program, approved by the City Council in June and granted $32,000 in funding in September, will require city residents to drop off clean recyclable plastic bags at designated sites once it is operational. However, city Recycling Coordinator George Dreckmann said Friday the city won't be able to put most of the large collection containers at retail and grocery centers as originally planned.

Grocery stores - except Madison's two Aldi stores - wouldn't sign on to the program because many of them have similar recycling programs, he said. He also was unsuccessful at getting mall owners to agree to host the containers.

Mall representatives "never called me back, so I took the hint," Dreckmann said.

As a result, most of the expected 13 to 15 drop-off sites likely will be located at city parks, he said, though that has not yet been finalized with the Parks Department.

Three sites are planned at Streets Division buildings, and two will be at Madison's Aldi stores, he said. A variety of bags are considered recyclable, including grocery, retail, bread and newspaper bags.

Dreckmann said he expects the change will probably reduce participation in the program from previously anticipated levels. Although putting the sites in parks will provide a "good geographic spread," having them at commercial centers would have ensured more people with bags passed them every day, he said.

"It's a disappointment, but it's a minor one," he said.

Ald. Judy Compton, 16th District, who wrote the law, said she was disappointed to learn of the change, and thought it would "absolutely" reduce participation in the program, which she hoped would reach at least 90 percent of residents.

"The whole community has to work together in order for this to work," she said, adding she now will push harder for quarterly curbside pickup.

In addition, the program will begin later than planned. Initially set to start late this month, it won't begin until the first week of December because of the containers' expected delivery date.

Dreckmann also noted purchasing the 15 containers cost $13,500, or about half the originally budgeted amount.

"Many major cities have adopted our (law's) verbiage," Compton said. "Now we need to show them how it works, and we seem to be a little slow in getting it going."

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