Lansing intends to quadruple its recycling rate by 2012, a feat officials plan to accomplish with a new "single stream" process debuting in March.

City officials say Lansing vehicles will accept more curbside recyclables and participating residents can spend less time preparing their newspapers, plastic bottles and milk cartons.

Chad Gamble, the city's public service director, said pickup services will expand to include cardboard boxes, small metal items such as pots and pans and all types of paper.

When the program starts, residents can put their recyclables in their city-issued trash bins without separating them. Drivers in the city's recycling trucks will not have to sort the materials either.

If the "single stream" process is a hit, reaping more than 8,000 tons of recycling annually, residents may one day pay less than the average of $74.50 a year for collection, according to Jerry Ambrose, the city's finance director.

"This is a big, big story," said Mayor Virg Bernero, standing Wednesday before a small mountain of recyclables at Lansing's South Street recycling transfer station. "We're talking about a change that will be a quantum leap forward.

"We're very excited about being cleaner and greener."

One of the benefits of the "single stream" process, according to city officials, will be the yearly reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 22,850 tons. They say that's the equivalent of removing 4,155 cars off the road.

"We're really placing some testosterone into our system and bringing in more recycling," Gamble said.