New recycling campaign encourages residents to think before tossing

Published on August 29, 2022

CITY NEWS code-wait recycling program logo.jpg

Fort Worth is launching a new campaign to educate residents on items they should or should not be putting in their blue recycling cart.

The campaign name – WAIT – is an acronym for “Where am I tossing?” It’s meant to encourage residents to pause before they throw items in the wrong cart, decreasing “wishcycling.”

Wishcycling is putting materials you hope can be recycled into the recycling bin, even if they are not accepted in the residential curbside recycling program.

“Almost 30% of the material that goes to our local recycling processing facility is contaminated,” said Christian Harper, contract services administrator in the Code Compliance Department’s Solid Waste Services Division. “And most people don’t know that nonrecyclable items tossed in your blue recycle cart cost the City and residents five times more to process than if those items had been tossed in the brown cart.

“Our goal is to engage residents in recycling right,” Harper said. “Once that happens, we hope to see residents recycling more of the correct things.”

It’s easy to check if certain items are recyclable. Check out the Waste Wizard or download the Fort Worth Garbage and Recycling app from Google Play or the App Store.

Next time you’re ready to toss something, WAIT – and when in doubt, throw it out.

 

 

Get articles like this in your inbox. Subscribe to City News.