PROVIDENCE — The recyclable materials the city sends to the landfill increased by 20 percent last week, while the trash picked up plummeted by 63 percent, according to city data on the first week of its new mandatory recycling policy.

The early results show that, so far, the city’s new trash policy –– which requires that two recycling bins accompany each big green trash can –– has led to more recycling.

But the results also show just how much trash was left curbside last week after people failed to follow the new rules.

“It’s very encouraging in that we had more people recycling” said Alix Ogden, the city’s director of operations. But “clearly in the first week there was an increased amount of trash not collected, which shows that we need to continue to educate citizens about the importance of recycling.”

Mayor David N. Cicilline imposed the “no-bin, no-barrel” policy in an effort to double the city’s recycling rate, which is the lowest in the state at 10 percent. More recycling is both better for the environment and cheaper for the city, he contends.

But on Monday, as garbage and recycling trucks fanned out across the city’s East Side, a steady stream of calls from residents tied up phone lines at City Hall, much as they did last week. City officials again put notices on the garbage cans of residences that were noncompliant.

The city Department of Public Works also saw a run on the green and blue recycling bins. Ogden said the department sold 2,000 of the $5 bins on Monday alone and another 1,000 on Friday. By way of comparison, the city sold 5,600 recycling bins in all of October.

The department, at 700 Allens Ave., still has bins available and will stay open until 7 p.m. all week for residents who want to purchase them. The bins, however, are not necessary to comply with the new requirements. Residents can simply use two water-resistant containers labeled ‘recycling’. So long as paper is separated from plastics and metals, they will be picked up, said Ogden.

Still, City Council members are calling for the city to suspend the program until residents can be properly informed. They also say that the city should be enforcing its recycling policy through fines, rather than leaving their trash uncollected.

“It’s ridiculous that they’re not picking up garbage. It’s a public health and sanitation issue,” said City Councilor Kevin Jackson, who represents the East Side neighborhoods of Mount Hope and Summit.

Residents say the city ought to give out the recycling bins for free, much as the big green trash cans were distributed a few years ago.

“It’s in the best interests of the city to make this as easy as possible for residents,” said Ray Watson, executive director of the Mount Hope Neighborhood Association. “Why not give them out for free at first?”BY THE NUMBERS

In the first week the city enforced its new recycling requirements, trash collection plummeted but the tonnage of recycling increased.484

Tons of trash collected the week of Nov. 91,323

Average tons of trash collected per week from Aug. 3 to Nov. 2154

Tons of recycling the week of Nov. 9128

Average tons of recycling per week from Aug. 3 to Nov. 2

pmarcelo@projo.com