In remarks during the Nov. 7 City Council meeting, Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt proclaimed Wednesday, Nov. 15, as “America Recycles Day,” to promote responsible recycling in our community.
The proclamation is part of a month-long education campaign to encourage eligible Oklahoma City solid waste customers to “recycle right” by only recycling items that are accepted in the City’s residential curbside recycling program, which helps to reduce the amount of reusable waste that gets sent to our landfills.
As part of its “America Recycles Day” campaign, the City has implemented outreach efforts to promote the “recycle right” message through community events, direct mail and on social media. “Recycle right” provides specific information to help customers understand recycling basics, including what can and cannot go in their Big Green recycling carts. The City will wrap up its “America Recycles Day” campaign with a live Question and Answer event on the City’s Facebook page on Wednesday, Nov. 15, at 6 p.m.
“Oklahoma City residents are enthusiastic about recycling as is evidenced by the continued high marks our program receives through the City’s annual resident satisfaction survey,” said Utilities Director Chris Browning. “America Recycles Day, and our recycling outreach in general, is an important avenue for us to encourage residents to recycle right.”
Since its launch in 2018, the City’s Big Green recycling cart program has rated an average of 83.6% satisfaction among residents surveyed each year. The City’s recycling services are provided by its contractor Waste Management of Oklahoma, Inc. (WM).
During Fiscal Year 2023, the City collected 23,392 tons of materials from customers’ Big Green recycling carts. Of that, 16,312 tons were sorted and sent to manufacturers for reuse in other consumer goods. The remaining 7,080 tons were either non-recyclable, or are not accepted in the City’s program, so were sent to a local landfill.
Items collected that are either not accepted or non-recyclable are known as “contamination.” Not only can they get caught up in the sorting equipment, causing periodic production shutdowns, but then must be transferred to the landfill, costing the program money.
The most common recycling contamination collected in Oklahoma City includes plastic bags and items placed in plastic bags, food and liquid, yard waste and grass clippings, propane tanks, car batteries, garden hoses and clothing.
“Keeping contamination out of the recycling stream is an easy way customers can help ensure continuity of the program,” Browning said. “It’s also the reason we are working to increase our education and outreach efforts. We want our program to thrive for generations to come.”
America Recycles Day is part of a nationwide initiative by Keep America Beautiful, a national nonprofit that urges people to reduce, reuse, repurpose and recycle in every aspect of their life.
To improve your recycling habits in OKC, consider the following tips:
- Always place your recyclables loose in your Big Green recycling cart. Do not bag them.
- Keep contamination out of your recycling cart. When in doubt, leave it out!
- Make sure all plastic, aluminum and glass items are empty, clean and dry.
For more information about the City’s residential curbside recycling program, including the “Do’s” and “Don’ts” of recycling, visit okc.gov/recycle.
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Media Contact:
Jennifer McClintock
(405) 297-3363
jennifer.mcclintock@okc.gov
