Carole Studdard moved to Sun City three years ago from her home near Richmond, Va., where there was a curbisde recycling program.

When she moved to Sun City, the change was disappointing.

"I was confused at not seeing recycling bins in more places, and at how difficult it was to find the ones that were there," Studdard said. "But I was pleased when I found the bins, and I'm very pleased now to see they are accepting plastics."

After months of waiting, false starts and dashed hopes, Sun City residents can finally start recycling plastics. The Sun City Lions recycling program confirmed Tuesday they are accepting No. 1 and No. 2 plastics at their drop-off sites at 107th and Peoria Avenues and at 107th Avenue and Bell Road.

"We do have plastics recycling at those two sites," said Loretta Hieronymus, an office assistant at the Sun City Lions Recycling Association. "It's been fairly recently that we started accepting them, probably within the past month."

Due to the economic downturn, however, the Lions were unable to accept plastics. The market for recycled plastics had dipped to the point where they could not make enough money back to sustain the program.

But now, Hieronymus said, that is no longer the case.

"The market changes pretty quickly, so we were able to go ahead and put out the plastics bins," she said. "And, yes, Sun City residents should expect plastics recycling to be here to stay."

She added donors need to remember just what can and cannot be recycled. Examples of No. 1 and No. 2 plastics include: 2-liter soda bottles, peanut butter jars, milk jugs and detergent bottles. All plastics carry an identifying marker, numbering 1-7.

Jeff Dempsey may be reached at 623-876-2531 or jdempsey@yourwestvalley.com.