‘We could do better’: City of OKC talks trouble with recycling
By Kevin Haggenmiller
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OKLAHOMA CITY (KOCO) — Recycling in Oklahoma City is going strong, but leaders say it could be better due to issues with plastic bags that cannot be processed.
KOCO visited the WM Materials Recovery Facility, where Jennifer McClintock, spokesperson for the Oklahoma City Utilities Department, explained that only 70% of recycled materials can actually be reused. They’re now trying to bring awareness to that other 30% of materials that are considered “contaminated,” so OKC residents can help the city get closer to the national average of 25%, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
“Our number 1 issue that we see is plastic bags,” McClintock said. “Unfortunately, because the way the single stream process works, we don’t have the sorting equipment to rip those bags apart, and then we can’t guarantee what’s inside those bags can actually be recycled.”
McClintock advised residents not to place items to be recycled in plastic bags to ensure that everything thrown in the bin can find a new home by being recycled.
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