With the holiday season under way, now’s the time to think about Oklahoma City’s “naughty and nice” list for residential curbside recycling. Help us cut down on contamination by recycling right.
Nice items that can go in your Big Green recycling cart include:
- Plain paper holiday cards and envelopes. Please don’t drop in cards with metallic paper or glitter.
- Cardboard shipping boxes and wrapping paper tubes.
- Brown paper bags with handles removed, or plain brown paper wrapping paper.
- Magazines, newspapers and coupons.
- Glass bottles and jars. Clean and dry, with lids on.
- Aluminum foil, and aluminum serving or baking trays. Clean and dry.
- Plastic drink bottles and food containers. Clean and dry, with lids on.
Naughty items that go in your Big Blue trash cart include:
- Plastic bags and wrap, including bubble wrap and shipping air pockets.
- Wrapping paper, tissue paper and gift bags. Many wrapping papers have plastic coatings or contain chemicals that keep them from breaking down during the recycling process.
- Christmas lights. These get caught in the sorting equipment at the recycling facility and can cause it to shut down.
- Ribbons and bows. Save ribbons and bows for another holiday or toss them in your Big Blue trash cart.
- Paper plates and napkins. Most paper products used for food are manufactured with moisture-blocking chemicals that keep the paper from breaking down during the recycling process.
- Plastic cutlery and napkins.
- Shipping peanuts and packing foam.
- Christmas greenery and trees. Set your trees at the curb for your regular monthly bulky pick-up or use a local compost service.
For more information, visit okc.gov/recycle.
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Media Contact
Jennifer McClintock
(405) 297-3363
jennifer.mcclintock@okc.gov
