A plan to offer two bulky waste “amnesty days” as supplements to the city’s automated trash and recycling pickup program has been approved by the City Council, although the associated costs, and how much will ultimately be budgeted, remain unclear.

The council backed the “amnesty days” plan, outlined in an ordinance amending the city code, on an 8-1 vote. It provides for the establishment of free bulky waste pickups in March and September of each year, with each residential property eligible for one pickup during each of those months. Homeowners would be required to schedule a pickup appointment with Waste Management.

Households are limited to three items during each pickup, not including mattresses, construction debris, televisions, electronics or other waste items that normally fit into trash carts.

Council members have eyed the “amnesty days” for months, since the institution of the new trash and recycling pickup system last year. The automated system, which utilizes 65-gallon carts, is designed to increase recycling rates, but represents a dramatic shift from the city’s previous curbside pickup arrangement.

A one-time free pickup for bulky items, with the same restrictions as the new “amnesty days,” was held in August and September of last year. The council also set up a special subcommittee to review the issue further, leading to the ordinance approved Monday.

“We have to give some relief to the homeowner,” Council President John Lanni said.

“This program is something that adds value for the residents of Cranston…more and more, we’re passing things on to the residents,” Ward 2 Councilman Don Botts said.

“I think everybody wants to see it happen,” Ward 6 Councilman Michael Favicchio said.

Citywide Councilman Michael Farina said the entire council has supported the push to address what he describes as flaws in the trash and recycling program.

“This council has worked exceedingly hard to try to fix the problems with the trash program,” he said. “We’ve all worked together.”

At a meeting of the council’s Public Works Committee earlier this month, Director of Public Works Ken Mason had estimated the cost of the “amnesty days” at $75,000 each, or $150,000 in all. That figure, he said, was based on a review of the bulky item pickup rates in Warwick and Newton, Mass., along with the per-item pickup fees charged by Waste Management.

On Monday, Director of Administration Robert Coupe said that estimate was designed to be high. Given the variables involved, he said, it is difficult with any certainty what the cost of the “amnesty days” will be.

“This is a first for us,” he said.

Coupe also said the administration has yet to determine how much funding will be provided for the program in the coming fiscal year’s budget plan.

“No final decision has been made yet,” he said. “The plan is to put some number in. I don’t know what that number is today.”

Administration officials, including Mason and Clean City Coordinator Joe DiCarlo, have questioned the need for the amnesty days, saying they believe the trash program is working as intended.

Officials are additionally pursuing an additional alteration to the trash program – the introduction of a pay-as-you-throw system through the WasteZero service, which would allow homeowners to purchase special bags to throw out trash beyond the limitations of the 65-gallon carts. That arrangement – meant as an alternative to the additional cart Waste Management offers at a cost of $150 per year – has yet to be finalized.

Ward 1 Councilman Steve Stycos was the sole vote against the “amnesty days.” While acknowledging the efforts of his colleagues, he voiced concern over the cost of the arrangement and stressed that promoting recycling should be the city’s primary focus, given the limitations of the Central Landfill and the need to contain costs.

“We have got to get the public thinking about not generating as much trash,” he said.