For some, though, their efforts have been for naught.

They are customers of CSRA Waste Inc., the company that underbid competitors to win the bulk of Augusta's expanded sanitation service contracts. Its employees have been seen repeatedly tossing recyclable items in with the other household garbage - a violation of the company's contract with the county.

An investigation by The Augusta Chronicle found CSRA Waste workers mixing recycling with trash over several weeks along streets between Wrightsboro Road and Gordon Highway. On the past three Fridays, one crew has gone through two neighborhoods off Kissingbower Road dumping recyclables in with the rest of the trash at house after house.

They did it to Donald Ingemansen's newspapers at his Rose Lane home Oct. 26.

"You make the extra effort," said Mr. Ingemansen, 74. "It's disheartening to see some (expletive) not follow through with that."

He said that when he called the company and complained, a woman told him the crew would be talked to.

The call from Mr. Ingemansen did not appear on CSRA Waste's complaint logs, which must be submitted to the county on a weekly basis. Nor did a call appear from Richard Menger, 35, of Kissingbower Road, who said he lodged a complaint when he saw it happen Oct. 18.

The problem seems to be concentrated in District 5, one of nine collection zones in Richmond County and one of seven city contracts held by CSRA Waste. The area encompasses an estimated 3,200 customers.

One of the workers who went through Rose Lane said that the truck was bound for the landfill and that he and his partner were throwing away recyclables because the recycling facility in South Carolina couldn't take any more materials.

Asked whether a supervisor had instructed him to do that, he said, "Yes and no."

ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER/STAFF

Eric Kinlaw, a 27-year-old musician who lives on Pennsylvania Avenue, said he confronted a hauler who dumped his recycling bin into a trash truck Thursday morning. He said the man told him he had been ordered to do it because a recycling truck driver had quit.

"I was furious," Mr. Kinlaw said. "I'm trying to better my environment, and somebody just throws it away."

CSRA Waste President Kester Uzochukwu did not return telephone calls Thursday. A woman who answered the company's phone Thursday afternoon said he did not want to speak to a reporter.

The woman, who would not identify herself, said she doubted that the company's employees were putting recyclables in garbage trucks.

ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER/STAFF

"That area is squeaky clean," she said of District 5 shortly before hanging up.

The city's contract with the three trash haulers requires them to take recyclable materials to a qualified vendor, such as the recycling center in North Augusta or Smurfit-Stone Recycling Co. on Walker Street.

Spot checks of the other companies with city trash contracts - Augusta Disposal & Recycling and Inland Services Corp. - did not find trash men mishandling recycling bins. In addition, spot checks of other CSRA Waste crews found them properly handling containers.

Teresa Smith, the director of the Department of Public Works, said the city has received sporadic complaints on all three companies. Monique Woods, the city controller for Augusta Disposal, and David Vance, the manager of Inland Service, both said they were unaware of any such complaints.

The public works department oversees the garbage service, which began in August. Because of the complaints, Ms. Smith said, the companies have been asked to submit reports about their recycling loads, due in the next several months.

Before canceling a contract, though, the city first would need to know how widespread the problem is.

"If it's one driver that this is happening with, then we may have to talk to (the company) about this driver working on our contract," Ms. Smith said. "If, on the other hand, CSRA isn't recycling anywhere, then we've got a whole other contract-type issue."

Reach Johnny Edwards at (706) 823-3225 or johnny.edwards@augustachronicle.com.