Floyd County will need to do some trash talking with the state about the county's apparently lackluster recycling program.

Roanoke can crow a little. Botetourt isn't hot, but the county beat its target.

In Roanoke County, curbside pickup of recyclables remains impractical for a jurisdiction of more than 240 square miles, but innovative ideas are welcome, said one county commissioner.

According to a report released this past week by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, rural Floyd County recycled only 11 percent of its solid waste stream in 2006.

The DEQ's annual report calculates recycling rates for communities and regions across the state. Statewide, the recycling rate increased from 32.2 percent in 2005 to 38.4 percent, an increase that David Paylor, DEQ director, attributed to "the continued support by Virginians for recycling in their communities."

The agency estimates that statewide efforts kept about 3.7 million tons of materials out of landfills.

The state's highest recycling rate of 55 percent was recorded by the Southeastern Public Service Authority, which includes cities and counties in the region of Hampton Roads, Norfolk and Virginia Beach.

State law requires the recycling rate for Floyd County and other areas of low population density to be at least 15 percent. The gap means county officials must now submit to DEQ a "recycling action plan" that will identify possible remedies.

Floyd County's low recycling rate surprised Sherrell Thompson, its recycling coordinator, who said he thought the county "was doing better than that."

Larger communities must reach a recycling rate of at least 25 percent.

Roanoke beat that handily with a rate of 37.2 percent. At 29.3 percent, Roanoke County squeaked past.

Skip Decker, solid waste manager for the city, said the department is expanding its recycling program and working with businesses and schools to foster their participation.

"Last week, we picked up 20 tons of paper and cardboard from the schools," Decker said, noting the department hopes to begin retrieving cans from school cafeterias, too.

Decker said his journeys around the Roanoke Valley alert him to places where crowds and customers gather or pass through with no apparent access to recycling bins. He notices hotels, higher education buildings and companies that could do a better job of recycling.

"More and more companies are recognizing what they can do to help the community and also cut their costs for hauling solid wastes," he said.

In Roanoke County, residents haul their recyclables to three designated trailers spread around the county, to Cycle Systems in the city or to someplace else.

Nancy Duval, solid waste manager, said Roanoke County has tried curbside pickup before and found it to be financially and logistically untenable for a county of 240-plus square miles. She said the county has been reluctant to only offer curbside pickup in its more populated areas because residents elsewhere might object.

"We get a lot of, "Well, I pay taxes, too,' " Duval said.

County Supervisor Mike Wray has emphasized recycling in recent years. He said there might be innovative approaches that could make recycling more convenient for residents. There might be neighborhood-centered efforts, for example, Wray said.

"An exciting thing is that people are becoming more conscious about recycling," he said.

Children are getting the message at county schools, said Wray and Duval.

"Recycling is the right thing to do," Duval said. "If you care about the environment, it's not that difficult to load up your recycling and drop it off."

The town of Blacksburg provides weekly curbside pickup of recyclables. Its recycling rate is folded into the numbers for the Montgomery Regional Solid Waste Authority.

But Susan Garrison, the town's environmental manager, said the town's recycling rate is about 46 percent. She noted, however, that Blacksburg's rate includes some materials the town recycles that aren't included in the state numbers.

Botetourt County's recycling rate was 18.5 percent, beating its 15 percent target. Ron Smith, the county's director of public works, said he anticipates Botetourt's rate will improve. The county administration building is now recycling materials, and public works is coordinating recycling efforts with schools, he said.

"We are still looking at opportunities," Smith said.