Cambridge residents have not participated in the city's new recycling program as much as some observers would like.

"Recycling has not reached the level we expected," said Robert A. George, a manager at Laidlaw Waste Systems, the firm which collects the city's recyclables. "We thought Cambridge's response would be greater than it has been, because people there tend to be more environmentally aware."

George said yesterday that he would like to see the city force more citizens to recycle their garbage. "We'd like Cambridge to be more vigilant in enforcing the ordinance," George said.

The city's mandatory recycling ordinance has been in effect since July 1991. The ordinance requires Cambridge residents to recycle newspapers, aluminum, glass, plastics and yard wastes such as leaves and grass clippings.

According to George, the city of Newton, Mass. is recycling 35 percent of its trash, while Cambridge is recycling only 14 percent.

Cambridge's year-old program currently includes 26,000 of the city's 42,000 households, according to Jan C. Aceti, the recycling coordinator for the Cambridge Department of Public Works.

Future Goals

Aceti said her department is aiming to increase the number of people participating in the program. The department's goal is to increase the amount of garbage recycled to 25 percent by 1996, she added.

"We will probably meet, and may exceed that goal," Aceti said. "I think most people see recycling as a good idea and want to participate."

Cambridge developed a recycling program last summer in response to Massachusetts laws that ban all recyclable materials from Massachusetts landfills by 1994.

"Cities across the Northeast have been pushed towards recycling by space constraints and cost more than they have been pushed by environmental concerns," said Aceti. "And Cambridge is no exception."

Waste Management Corporation currently collects Cambridge's non-recyclable waste for about $46 a ton, Aceti said. Laidlaw Waste Systems currently collects the city's recyclable garbage at a cost of about $84 a ton.