CLEARWATER, Fla. — Clearwater lawmakers are taking steps that officials say are important to gaining back the trust of residents.

The City Council voted unanimously Thursday night to authorize a one-year contract with a company to provide recycling services, and to give citizens a $20 credit on fees.

This comes after the solid waste department sent recyclables to the incinerator instead of sending them to be processed for half of last year.

The city’s solid, waste and recycling director said it felt good to see city council members authorize a $1.2 million contract with Waste Connections to get its recycling program back on track.

"We lost trust in our residents because of what happened in the past. So, my goal when assigned to the position was trying to get that trust back to our residents,” said Director Kervin St. Amie.

The city says the solid waste department did not send recyclables for proper processing for several months.

Since then, there's a new department administration in place, with an online dashboard to track recycling shipments.

The council also approved crediting residents for the fees they paid while items weren't being recycled.

St. Amie said recycling isn't just the right thing to do, saying it's important for the future of Tampa Bay.

"Pinellas County stated that in 2053, the landfill will be full and then we have to find other means for dumping the trash. So, the more we take out of the landfill, it helps that situation,” he said.

Amie said residents will see a $0 balance on their bill for six months beginning in October.