OKC Launches "What Goes Where" Tool to Help Residents Sort Waste and Boost Recycling

Oklahoma City residents now have an easier way to figure out what belongs in their trash, recycling, or bulky waste pickup thanks to a new online tool unveiled by the OKC Utilities Department last week.

The tool, called “What Goes Where,” debuted during the city’s America Recycles Day celebration on November 13 at an event attended by Mayor David Holt, Councilperson James Cooper, and Utilities Director Chris Browning. Third graders from John Rex Elementary School joined Rumble the Bison to demonstrate proper recycling techniques for the crowd.

A contamination problem

City officials say the new tool addresses a persistent challenge: too many non-recyclable items ending up in residents’ Big Green recycling carts. Currently, about 30 percent of materials placed in those carts can’t actually be recycled and must be sent to landfills instead. Common culprits include plastic bags, garden hoses, clothing, hangers, and various plastics that aren’t accepted in OKC’s program.

That contamination rate runs about 10 percentage points higher than the national average, according to city data.

“Contamination costs all of us,” Browning said, “since non-recyclable items have to be pulled out from among the many good materials in the recycling stream, a process which costs time and money.”

How the tool works

Available at recycleokc.com, the “What Goes Where” feature lets residents search more than 500 household items by name. Type in “pizza box” or “motor oil,” and the tool tells you whether the item goes in your Big Blue trash cart, Big Green recycling cart, bulky waste pickup, or should be taken to the city’s Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center. It also flags items the city doesn’t accept at all.

“It’s a simple way for customers to make sure they’re recycling right and helping lower the amount of contamination in our recycling stream,” Browning said.

Participation remains low

Beyond contamination, the city faces another challenge: getting more residents to recycle in the first place. Only about 43 percent of households with access to curbside recycling actually set out their Big Green carts for collection.

Browning pointed to limited landfill capacity as a reason to change that trend. “We need to do what we can to encourage more residents in our curbside program to recycle,” he said. “Whether it’s through education, providing new online tools or community outreach, we want to show our customers that we are working alongside them in their recycling journey.”

Three decades of recycling in OKC

Oklahoma City’s curbside recycling program dates back to 1994, when the city introduced the “Little Blue” bin with a limited list of accepted materials. The program expanded significantly in 2018 with the larger Big Green carts and began accepting additional items like cardboard and cartons.

The new “What Goes Where” tool is part of a broader education campaign aimed at improving both participation rates and recycling quality across the city.