OUTAGAMIE COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) — Outagamie County is stepping up it’s “Oops Tag” program after seeing an increase in plastics bags, batteries, shredded paper and more being placed into curbside recycling carts.
As part of the program, when drivers collecting curbside recycling see a cart with material(s) that shouldn’t be in it, they’ll place an Oops Tag on it with a note alerting the resident as to what shouldn’t have been placed inside. Depending on the amount of non-recyclable materials inside it, the driver may elect not to empty the cart to avoid contaminating their entire load.
“The program isn’t meant to chastise or make anyone feel bad, it’s just to give them a heads up and say ‘hey, we noticed something in your cart that shouldn’t be here,’ and it shows them how to better recycle for next time,” said Jordan Hiller, recycling and solid waste program coordinator for Outagamie County.
For residents that receive an Oops Tag, simply remove and properly dispose of the materials identified, and when recycling is scheduled for pick up again, place your cart back out to your curb.
Among the items that should be placed in your curbside recycle cart include:
- Cardboard & paperboard
- Newspapers & inserts
- Office & school paper
- Envelopes, junk mail & catalogs
- Milk, juice & soup cartons
- Household bottles, jars & jugs
- Dairy containers & lids
- Produce, bakery & deli containers
- Aluminum bottles & cans
- Steel & tin cans
- Glass food & beverage bottles & jars
Among the more common items placed in curbside recycling that SHOULDN’T BE include:
- Batteries
- Shredded paper
- Plastic bags, wraps & films
- Styrofoam products
- Propane tanks
- Paint cans
- Aerosol cans
- Window glass
- Scrap metal
- Pet food bags
However, just because an item can’t be placed into your curbside recycling cart doesn’t mean it’s not recyclable. Plastic bags, Styrofoam, batteries, electronics and many other items are recyclable, but they need to be dropped off at a designated collection site or at Resource Recovery Park.
Since escalating the Oops Tag program in July, approximately 40 recycling carts per week have been tagged.
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