PITTSFIELD – When Pittsfield’s recycling facility was built back in 1986, not all residents were taken with the idea of sifting and sorting their trash.

“I swear there were people looking through my own trash just to see if I was recycling myself,” said Donald Chute, the town’s recycling-transfer coordinator.

Clearly they’ve bought into the idea, according to Chute’s annual report which he delivered to the Pittsfield Town Council on Tuesday night.

The town had a recycling rate of 71.8 percent in 2007, up from 41.2 percent in 1993, Chute told councilors, making Pittsfield the No. 1 recycling municipality in the state.

“Everyone should be very proud of their accomplishments,” he said. “I know there was some skepticism when we first started this program, but people have really learned that not only is this good for the environment, it is also good for their pocketbook.”

Also on Tuesday, the council voted to begin accepting requests for proposals for a major addition to the Pittsfield Public Library.

The vote capped a four-year effort by library volunteers who have been trying to raise $1.3 million to renovate and expand the historic structure in the center of downtown.

Last month the council voted to accept a $250,000 Community Development Block Grant that helped complete fundraising for the project.

Town Manager Kathryn Ruth said she expected several requests for proposals to begin coming in immediately.

“We will be putting notices in the paper, but I suspect many contractors are already familiar with the project and will be submitting RFPs right away,” she said.

The council also voted to accept a proposal of up to $92,000 for street paving from Kennebec Paving in Canaan.

Ruth told councilors that the town’s street sweeper was still having maintenance problems, but the alternative of contracting the service out was not fiscally responsible. “We’re going to try to keep ours running,” she said.

She further acknowledged that some residents had been complaining of inconsistencies with the mowing of the town’s parks.

“We are having some trouble [with the mower] and we acknowledge that. We are taking care of it and if the problems are not resolved the contract will be terminated,” she said.