The Kauai County Council approved a measure Wednesday that aims to boost recycling.

The Council voted 5-1 to pass the second and final reading of Bill 2551, which proposes a Pay as You Throw program. Under the bill, residents will have the choice of using a 64-gallon cart or a 96-gallon cart for refuse collection.

The program aims to divert some waste from the Kekaha landfill by offering residents a financial incentive to take recyclables to redemption centers or drop bins rather than toss them into a trash cart. Currently, there is no curbside recycling pickup on the island.

Councilwoman JoAnn Yukimura said the measure is a step forward toward a more sustainable Kauai.

Under the bill, residents who opt for the smaller cart would pay $12 a month for refuse collection. Customers opting for the 96-gallon cart would be charged $21.

Councilman Mel Rapozo cast the lone dissenting vote, and Councilman Ross Kagawa was excused from the meeting.

Kauai Mayor Bernard Carvalho has nine days to sign or veto the bill. If signed into law, the new variable rates will go into effect July 1.

During the meeting, Rapozo described the bill as a piecemeal effort that increases fees for residents.

"I cannot support any more increases in fees," he said.

The county currently issues residents a 96-gallon cart for curbside trash pickup. Resident also have the option of using up to three 32-gallon bins.

Each household now pays $12 a month for refuse collection services: a $6 base fee that goes to operation costs of the county’s refuse collection program and $6 for either manual or automated refuse collection service.

During a public hearing on the bill held in September, Pat Gegan, chairman of an organization called Zero Waste Kauai, said he supports the measure. "We still have too many recyclables going into the rubbish and ending up in the landfill,"Gegan said.

More than 77,000 tons of materials, or 5.1 pounds per capita, were disposed of by Kauai residents and businesses in 2013. According to the measure, an estimated 60 percent of those discarded materials could have been reused or recycled.

In fiscal year 2012 it cost $15.5 million to manage refuse and recycling costs. The total cost for the current trash program per household is $56 a month. Costs are subsidized by real property tax revenue.