Taking the lid off a trash can on one of his routes, garbage hauler Frank Treto quickly spotted enough junk mail and cardboard to warrant whipping out a bright yellow warning tag. He‘‘s left hundreds of notices reminding residents of the city‘‘s new mandatory recycling law since it took effect at the start of the year. Some days, he‘‘s run out of tags, but one recent morning, he only had to leave a handful on his route through a stretch of the Ballard neighborhood - a sign that people are getting the hang of the new rules. So far, no one‘‘s given him any grief. "Not yet," he said. "I‘‘m looking forward to that. I‘‘m going to see if I can get a bulletproof vest."

Seattle has had ample reason to brag about its recycling program over the years, but in recent years, as more people and businesses have moved here, its recycling rate has dipped below 40 percent, down from a peak of 44 percent in 1995.

Most cities would probably envy that rate - well above the national average of about 27 percent, according to the State of Garbage in America, a report published last year by Biocycle, a recycling journal. But it‘‘s far from Seattle‘‘s goal of keeping 60 percent of its waste out of landfills by the end of the decade.

Eager to turn things around, the City Council passed a mandatory recycling law that took effect Jan. 1. No one‘‘s getting punished until next year, though, making the new rules seem more like a lesson from a strict but patient teacher than the work of a hard-nosed cop. Inspectors are spending the rest of this year showing homeowners, condo dwellers, apartment managers and businesses how to stay out of trouble. Next year, people in single-family homes won‘‘t get their trash picked up if they dump "significant amounts" of recyclables in their trash, defined by the city as more than 10 percent by volume. Owners of apartments, condominiums and businesses will face $50 fines. So far, city officials say few people have complained. Most calls have come from people wondering how to comply with the new standards, not complaining that the new mandates are too heavy-handed.

"When you tell them what the story is, they say, ‘‘Oh, OK,‘‘" said Tim Croll, community services director for Seattle Public Utilities, which runs the city‘‘s garbage and recycling systems.

The city has budgeted US$1.5 million for a three-year education push that began last year. The campaign includes mailers, how-to kits, a recycling hot line and friendly warning tags that open with "Why waste a good thing?" Mandatory recycling is not a new concept. Some cities, like Madison, Wis., and several states in the Northeast have required it for more than a decade - with varying degrees of success.

Madison, a liberal college town that embraced recycling enthusiastically, has never imposed a fine since it mandated recycling in 1991. "Seventy percent of the population is going to walk across a bed of hot coals to recycle a bottle. They just do that. They believe in it," said George Dreckmann, the city‘‘s recycling coordinator.

It‘‘s not that everyone follows the rules. But so many do - well above 90 percent - Dreckmann said it just doesn‘‘t make sense economically or practically to go after every last violator. Recycling has been mandatory in Connecticut since 1991, too. Requirements vary from city to city, and enforcement has been the biggest challenge, said Judy Beleval, an environmental analyst with the state‘‘s Department of Environmental Protection. "Some towns are good at it. Some towns are not so good at it," Beleval said. "In the beginning, most towns had a recycling coordinator. Over the years, because of budget cuts, that became