Carmel residents in March started the Carmel Green Initiative, which is trying to give the city’s residents new opportunities to recycle, said Margot Gibson, chairwoman of the organization’s recycling committee.

Last year, the grassroots organization helped create recycling programs in area churches, but the group’s main effort was promoting curbside recycling in Carmel.

Gibson said the Carmel Green Initiative would like to see Carmel move toward a combined trash and recycling pickup, instead of several different companies servicing the city and its neighborhoods.

“Currently a lot of recycling pickup (in Carmel) is every other week — and depending on holidays or individual service providers, it gets interrupted and it gets confusing,” she said, adding that many people may instead throw their recycling in the garbage.

She hopes having a set company to pick up both trash and recycling will give residents more incentive to recycle.

The Carmel Green Initiative has contacted Mayor Jim Brainard about its proposal. Gibson said he’s open to the idea, but nothing has been decided.

This year, the Carmel Green Initiative will continue to lobby the city for a combined trash pickup, while also bringing more recycling programs into the community.

Westfield last year contracted with Ray’s Trash Service to provide trash and recycling pickup to all homes in that city, ending homeowners associations contracting with other providers.

Noblesville and Cicero also have curbside recycling as part of their trash pickup contracts.