BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — 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 Stuber, director of Broken Arrow Solid Waste 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. Stuber 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, Stuber said.
"It's actually right on top of the cart."
Still, residents regularly toss in trash and non-recyclables. Stuber said certain items are especially problematic.
"Things like batteries, tanglers, which are plastic bags, garden hoses, things like that, they always create problems with the system itself, but also they become a contaminant."
How the gold lid program works
Traci Skinner, a recycling educator with the city, said the gold lids are reserved for the city's best recyclers — and the selection process is data-driven.
"So what we've done is we've collected data over several months, and those that consistently put the recycling carts out and free of contamination, they got chosen to have a gold lid container for 6 months."
Out of 40,000 customers, only 100 residents receive a gold lid. Broken Arrow is divided into 4 wards, and 25 gold lids are distributed per ward.
"So we have 4 wards here in Broken Arrow. So there's 25 per ward that get selected as a gold lid recipient."
Skinner delivers the bins in person. When recipients are home, she explains the program. When they are not, she leaves a letter inside the cart.
"If they don't answer, we just leave the letter inside the cart which explains the whole entire program and that way they can see it whenever they come home."
The goal is not only to reward good recyclers, but to spark curiosity among neighbors.
"These are really to recognize the people that are paying attention to our sorting guidelines and they're doing it right."
Stuber said the program is also designed to create friendly competition between neighbors.
What goes in the blue bin
The following items are accepted in Broken Arrow curbside recycling:
- Paper
- Cardboard
- Magazines
- Milk cartons
- Plastic bottles
- Detergent bottles
- Glass bottles and jars
- Metal and aluminum cans
The following items should not be placed in the recycling cart:
- Diapers
- Food
- Green waste
- Styrofoam
- Garden hoses
- Plastic bags
- Propane tanks
- Aerosol cans
- Fluorescent bulbs
- Paints or solvents
- Batteries
Recycling items not accepted curbside
Recyclable items that do not go in the blue bins can be taken to the Metropolitan Environmental Trust (M.E.T.) location in Broken Arrow. Items accepted at the Broken Arrow M.E.T. location include:
- #1 & #2 plastic bottles
- Plastic bags
- Glass bottles
- Newspaper
- Office paper
- Magazines
- Phone books
- Corrugated cardboard (flattened)
- Paperboard
- Aluminum cans
- Steel cans
- Scrap metal
- Motor oil (5-gallon limit)
- Cooking oil (5-gallon limit)
- Antifreeze (5-gallon limit)
- Eyeglasses
- Batteries (household and auto)
- Electronic waste
Electronic waste cannot go to the landfill. For more information about proper and safe e-waste disposal, visit the M.E.T. Broken Arrow website.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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