Suffolk and TFC Recycling officials haven’t decided what they’re going to do if 3,000 households don’t sign up for curbside recycling by April 22, but they hope it doesn’t come to that.

“We’re very optimistic that, as more people get to know about this and realize how important recycling is to their family and to the community and to the environment, they’ll do this,” said Joel Rubin, head of Rubin Communications, the public relations firm for TFC Recycling.

Suffolk has contracted with TFC Recycling to provide curbside pickup service to the city’s residents. For a $12 fee each month, the Chesapeake-based company will provide participants with a recycling container similar to the trash containers the city provides most homes. Participants can dump a wide variety of materials into the cans, which then would be picked up twice a month on trash day.

To accomplish increased awareness of the program, TFC Recycling will be distributing more than 19,000 door hangers in the North Suffolk area beginning on Monday. If the publicity blitz generates enough new sign-ups, the door hangers could be expanded to other areas of the city.

“We’re starting up in North Suffolk primarily due to the high concentration of homes up there,” Rubin said. “It just makes it more practical to do it up there.”

Each hanger features a photo of the blue “big bin” each household that signs up will receive, and gives details about how the program works. It directs residents to a Web address or telephone number to sign up or for more information.

“We’ll see what this produces and then make a decision from there whether to expend additional dollars on door hangers or other kinds of promotion,” Rubin said.

To register online for curbside recycling, or for more information, visit www.tfcrecycling.com/suffolk. The company now also has a Facebook fan page. Those who sign up for the program do not have to give their billing information until after the 3,000-household threshold is met.