What are the NYC recycling rules?

I am having a problem with the trash for my building getting picked up. About 4 weeks ago, the trash men stopped collecting trash for my building and no one could figure out why. In a discussion on NewYork Simpatico -http://www.NewYork.Simpatico.com, someome mentioned to me that NY recycling rules changed in 2002 and that my trash was probably not sorted and this is why they were leaving it week after week.

Well I just moved to Brooklyn from Philly last year (there is no recycling law there) and never knew that recycling was mandatory, really....not that this is a bad thing, I am happy about it. But I had never sorted the trash that I use from cooking. In my first place in Park Slope, I was there for six months and never had a problem with the trash. And none of my roommates ever told me about the rules. And now that I moved, I have been here for over six months and never heard about the recycling rules from my landlord or anyone else who lives in the building.

So the tenants and I have tried changing the way we sort the trash (like not everyone's trash put into little shopping bags then just thrown in the outside trash can) and began using the clear bags for recycling. Last week, it went well and the trash was finally picked up. But now we did it again and it was not picked up this morning...!!

I tried to look at my what neighbors are doing and I get more confused...some people's stuff to recycle is just thrown in one bag, some people recycle paper and some don't, some people put plastic and metal together and some don't...and some people put the recycling stuff in one trash can only and some neighbors just put it in any trash can they see and leave the garbage men to sort it.

What is a clear and efficient way to handle this problem?