Broken Arrow is rolling out 100 recycling bins with gold lids to reward residents who consistently recycle correctly and encourage their neighbors to do the same. The city provides curbside recycling bins to 40,000 trash customers every week, but contamination — when non-recyclable items end up in the blue bins — is an ongoing problem that costs the city money.
Jerry Schuber, director of Broken Arrow Solid 91TV and Recycling, said some residents treat the recycling bin like an extra trash can. “They use it as a second garbage can.”
When the city delivers collected recyclables to commercial recycling centers, it pays a sorting fee. Schuber said less contamination could mean lower costs. “We have a sorting rate that we pay, but if we had less contamination, we could actually pay less to sort the material.” Instructions for what belongs in the blue bin are printed directly on the cart, Schuber said.