Oklahoma City Touts Proper Recycling to Save Landfill Space

Policy changes in global recycling markets have caused confusion and some angst for recycling programs across the country. And Oklahoma City is not immune to those issues.

When considering whether or not to suspend the city’s recycling program and send materials to landfill, city officials have decided that not recycling could cause even bigger problems when it comes to landfill capacity and operations.

The city is urging residents to only recycle items such as paper, cans, plastic containers like bottles and empty food containers, glass, aluminum foil, cardboard and paperboard. Items such as Styrofoam, paper cups, paper plates, napkins, paper towels, bubble wrap, garden hoses, yard waste or tires should not be placed in residential recycling bins.

FOX 25 has more:

The policy change created a ripple effect nationally for the recycling industry forcing some to decide if they should keep recycling or send all their cans and bottles to a landfill.

In Oklahoma City, officials said deciding not to recycle, could cause an even bigger issue when it comes to its landfills.

"What we want them to understand though, is, it’s not things that are just happening globally. We have problems here in Oklahoma City," Jennifer McClintock, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma City Utilities Department said.

Read the full article here.