MIDLAND, TX (KWES) - The City of Midland is struggling with people trying to recycle things they shouldn't. Recently, their aluminum bins have been overcrowded with metal items, like car parts.
"There is just a whole mess of bad stuff in here right now," said Amanda Byrom, Executive Director of Keep Midland Beautiful.
Recycling should be easy, but many people don't know or don't care if they are doing it wrong.
"I'm wondering if people are really gung-ho to recycle or using it as a way to dispose of things without paying for it," said Byrom.
Plastic bags, tin cans, and in the past month, some people even started throwing household furniture and car parts, making the recyclers job more difficult.
"It's a slow down for the whole system because when it has to be hand sorted, that is very time intensive. That is literally a person picking out things that don't belong," said Byrom. "Really the only thing you want to recycle is aluminum beverage cans."
The whole process starts off with the city emptying the bins, trying to sort them as best as they can. Then sending it to the recycler but sometimes the load can't be saved.
"It may contaminate the load to where they won't even be able to recycle any of the materials, so anything we can pull out, we will," said Morris Williams, Director of Solid Waste for the City of Midland.
Keep Midland Beautiful said it's great to want to recycle but it's important to read what's written on the bins to make sure you are doing it properly.
"It is something that is provided for the community as a benefit and it's a voluntary program and we all have to work together to do our part, so it's available for as many people as want to use it," said Byrom.
Aluminum bins are for cans only. The plastic bins can only take number one and two plastics. Cardboard boxes should be flattened before putting them in their proper bin.
