OKC, Why don't you recycle!

[Plutonic Panda]

This is another things that irks me about Oklahoma City. . . why is there no curbside recycling here?

Even Tulsa has full sized bins for recycling.

There should be minimum of 3 bins, imo. One for general garbage, one for recycling, and one for yard waste.

In a perfect world, another one for compost.

[FighttheGoodFight]

Do they not have them in OKC?

I guess I only lived in apartments that had recycling.

Norman has two bins. Recycling pick up every other week.

[rezman]

They have the little blue bins in our neighborhood. I'm on the west side of Edmond but it is Okc, and on trash days a separate truck comes around to pick up recycleables.

[Plutonic Panda]

Do they not have them in OKC?

I guess I only lived in apartments that had recycling.

Norman has two bins. Recycling pick up every other week.

I have not seen them. If they have those little bins that is welcoming news even though I think they need to go with the full sized bins.

[rezman]

^ I agree. We have two of the small ones, and you can mix stuff and the operator will divide it up.. ie paper and glass in one bin, aluminum and plastic in another etc.

[Celebrator]

Edmond has full size (96 gal.) bins. Every other week pickup, but man I could use weekly. That huge bins fills up so fast for me. Love the single stream system. We throw away probably half a 13 gallon trash bag per week in our family of four. Our 96 gallon trash can rolls out to the curb practically empty but that recycling bin is bursting at the seams when it goes out!

[BBatesokc]

When we lived in OKC we had the little blue box. It was way too small and stuff would always blow out. So much so we ended up stopping our recycling efforts.

Now that we live in Edmond we have the full size trash bin with a lid (today was our recycling pickup day).

We only put our our every other, or every third time because it takes us so long to fill it up.

We have a large three section compost area outside, so we shred a lot of our paper and unwaxed cardboard and use it in the compost pit. Same goes for food waste.

[Plutonic Panda]

When we lived in OKC we had the little blue box. It was way too small and stuff would always blow out. So much so we ended up stopping our recycling efforts.

Now that we live in Edmond we have the full size trash bin with a lid (today was our recycling pickup day).

We only put our our every other, or every third time because it takes us so long to fill it up.

We have a large three section compost area outside, so we shred a lot of our paper and unwaxed cardboard and use it in the compost pit. Same goes for food waste.

Yeah. I compost when I'm not in L.A. because I have an apartment there, but it would be nice to see a bin specifically for composting though I don't compost paper. I really haven't heard much about that.

I fill up the recycling bins pretty fast. So I would enjoy every week pickup, but I know a lot of people who don't fill theirs up as fast.

[rezman]

The shredded paper gets turned in with everything else, .. no?

[OkiePoke]

Little blue bin here. I really wish they would give me a bin with a lid and would accept cardboard.

[BBatesokc]

The shredded paper gets turned in with everything else, .. no?

The shredded paper in our house is used in the compost. It breaks down like everything else. Sometimes I wad it up so that it creates air pockets in the compost bins. Torn up toilet paper/paper towel cores work well for that too.

When we have an abundance of paper I usually take an afternoon and make recycled paper fire logs (which are excellent for our outdoor fireplace and when camping).

[Snowman]

I have not seen them. If they have those little bins that is welcoming news even though I think they need to go with the full sized bins.

They are standard issue, though I would be surprised if more than 1 in 10 people utilize them in my neighborhood.

[Dustin]

I have two blue bins. You don't have to settle for one!

[Architect2010]

They are standard issue, though I would be surprised if more than 1 in 10 people utilize them in my neighborhood.

Same with us. My roommates are easily the youngest people living in the neighborhood and we're also the only ones that visibly recycle. We routinely have our 2 bins overflowing by the time pickup comes every week. We tend to have a lot of beer cans lining our containers... ;P

I wonder what it would take to increase awareness in this city of how easy it is to recycle your trash... I think it's just part of our lazy, throw-away culture.
Step 1: Toss recyclable garbage in recycle bin
Step 2: Place bin at curb for pickup
Step 3: Repeat

[Plutonic Panda]

Same with us. My roommates are easily the youngest people living in the neighborhood and we're also the only ones that visibly recycle. We routinely have our 2 bins overflowing by the time pickup comes every week. We tend to have a lot of beer cans lining our containers... ;P

I wonder what it would take to increase awareness in this city of how easy it is to recycle your trash... I think it's just part of our lazy, throw-away culture.
Step 1: Toss recyclable garbage in recycle bin
Step 2: Place bin at curb for pickup
Step 3: Repeat

Instructions weren't clear enough. Lost a finger...

[AP]

I have one of the blue bins. It usually hold most of our stuff. I didn't know you could request two.

[TexanOkie]

They are standard issue, though I would be surprised if more than 1 in 10 people utilize them in my neighborhood.

OKC neighborhoods are pretty diverse, then. My neighborhood has at least a 90% participation rate, and several people have 2 bins.

[Bullbear]

I have two bins and they pick up weekly on trash day. I'd say our street in Crestwood is also about 90% participation. It would be nice to have a bin with a lid I agree though.
the city in an effort to increase recycling a year or two ago did a sweepstakes that you got an entry every time you put out your blue bin to recycle. I can't remember the prize but at least it was an effort.

[TheTravellers]

I have a blue bin and use it weekly, and about half the folks on our street have and use them. My big gripe is that the size of the garbage and recycle bins should be switched (similar to the way Edmond's are) and OKC should accept way more for recycling than they do. Not sure if it's changed, but OKC doesn't accept cardboard, brown paper bags, Lean Cuisine-type boxes, and a few other things that they should (I think Edmond accepts almost everything). Seattle area suburbs have it figured out - huge recycling bin, accept damn near anything, one size of garbage bin, and if the garbage can is overflowing or you have extra bags that don't fit in, you get charged extra.

[jerrywall]

Who handles OKC's waste/recycle collection? Is it internal, or is it outsourced to someone like Waste Management like Edmond is?

[KenRagsdale]

http://www.okc.gov/trash/recycle/index.html

[FritterGirl]

I have two little blues and use them regularly. The OKC recycling program is an opt-in program. Some neighborhoods are far better than others in terms of participation. I'd say about 1 in 6-7 houses on my block recycles. You can call the City's Utilities Customer Service line to request delivery of little blues.

As for windy days, I just stack one on top of the other. If both bins are extra full, I'll use a rock or brick to hold down the papers. The recycling folks will throw the rock in my yard when they pick up the bins. Easy peasy!

[checkthat]

For anyone interested in recycling, Goodwill OK is one of the biggest recycling operations in the state. You can take anything to most of their drop-off centers. The big one inside the old Homeland at 39th and Penn never turns down anything at all.

Environmental Commitment | Goodwill

[Celebrator]

I have a blue bin and use it weekly, and about half the folks on our street have and use them. My big gripe is that the size of the garbage and recycle bins should be switched (similar to the way Edmond's are) and OKC should accept way more for recycling than they do. Not sure if it's changed, but OKC doesn't accept cardboard, brown paper bags, Lean Cuisine-type boxes, and a few other things that they should (I think Edmond accepts almost everything). Seattle area suburbs have it figured out - huge recycling bin, accept damn near anything, one size of garbage bin, and if the garbage can is overflowing or you have extra bags that don't fit in, you get charged extra.

And the city of Seattle also has a bin for food scraps to be composted. In fact, you can be fined if food scraps are found in your trash! Not sure how they enforce this (and is a bit micro-managy for me) but nevertheless, lots of compostable material doesn't end up in the trash this way. We just compost our own food scraps in the back yard and have TONS of compost for our garden throughout the year.

[bombermwc]

OKC's had curbside recycling since the late 90's with the small blue bin.