HONOLULU -- The Honolulu City Council's budget chairman on Monday proposed freezing expansion of the city's curbside recycling program as a way to save money and help balance the city budget that has been hit by a decline in property values and a reduction of tens of millions of dollars in state aid.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann's administration said putting expansion of curbside recycling on hold is not a good idea.

The city is set to distribute blue trash bins and begin curbside recycling from Foster Village to Makiki and from Kahuku to Kahaluu on the Windward side, starting in November. In May 2010, the recycling program is scheduled to expand into Makakilo, Waipahu, Ewa Beach and the Waianae Coast.

"I'm not quite sure we can sustain it. How are we going to pay for this thing, going forward?" Budget Chairman Councilman Nestor Garcia said.

Garcia said he wants the city to consider delaying the expansion of the recycling program.

"I don't want to implement something for the public, just about covering the entire island, and then having to make cutbacks, I think that would be real disheartening," Garcia said.

The Hannemann Administration said the savings would not be significant since homes that begin curbside recycling will eventually see their regular trash pickup reduced from twice a week to once a week.

"The theory is as you put more of your recyclables into another bin, then less of your just general waste goes into the gray bin. So, it should be, in theory, a wash," city Environmental Services Director Tim Steinberger said.

The city would save some money by not buying more of the blue recycling bins.

"We still have to assess. We're new in this arena as far as curbside pickup, so it does take time to adjust to this," Steinberger said.

The Hannemann Administration said it is following the wishes of Oahu voters, who voted in favor of island-wide recycling in 2006. Freezing the program would also mean more trash diverted into Oahu's only city landfill, officials said.

"If we need to find and build another landfill, that is going to be a significant cost, so consequently, I don't think it's a good idea that we delay or, heaven forbid, stop curbside recycling," Councilman Charles Djou said.