The City Council on Tuesday afternoon voted to approve a recycling plan by Mayor Ron Littlefield that includes once a month curbside recycling, four recycling transfer stations and a $100,000 education component.

Councilwoman Marti Rutherford cast the only Nay vote, calling the plan "ridiculous" and saying it won't work.

She said only one of her constituents - Mayor Littlefield - has told her they support it.

Councilwoman Rutherford said, "If this was a business plan and you brought it to me, I would laugh in your face."

Mayor Littlefield said if once a month curbside recycling works - instead of the current once a week - it can be expanded to twice a month and maybe eventually back to the current level. But he said only about 13 percent of city residents use curbside recycling now.

The council is going to have to change an ordinance that calls for both garbage service and curbside recycling service weekly.

And the city is going to have to amend its budget, which had eliminated the $1.2 million annual curbside recycling cost.

"We will find the money," the mayor said.

Lee Norris of public works said the $475,000 the city pays the Orange Grove Center to handle recycling is already in the budget. He said the four transfer stations can be bought with capital funds, not operating money.

Mayor Littlefield said the city will up its allotment to Orange Grove so the center can update its recycling operation.

He said the curbside recycling will be more effective if it is carried out on a garbage collection day.

He said it will be at the same time as a community is due brush collection service.

Councilman Jack Benson said the Littlefield proposal "sounds like a reasonable solution for the time being."

Councilman Leamon Pierce said he supports recycling, but he said he does not believe the Littlefield plan will work.

Councilwoman Rutherford cast the only audible No when the vote was taken at a committee session. Councilman Pierce normally does not cast votes in committee.

Mayor Littlefield said the city had diverted a large amount of tonnage from the landfill when it spent millions of dollars on handling biosolids from the Moccasin Bend Sewage Treatment Plant.

He said a number of items are no longer available for recycling, saying the city has gone from two newspapers to one, aluminum cans are smaller, and many businesses have found ways to cut down on waste items.

Mayor Littlefield said, "We are doing an excellent job on being an environmental center. We can do better on recycling and we will."