Is Oklahoma Rubbish at Recycling? It’s All in the Numbers

Eight years ago the state of Oklahoma set a goal to recycling ten percent of its solid waste. Since then, voluntary programs have sprouted up across most of the state ranging from curbside pickup programs to drop-off locations. But is Oklahoma meeting its recycling objective? The lack of firm numbers from the state and the complicated system of determining what is success is leaving the answer an ever moving target.
 
In 2008, Oklahoma set a goal of 10 percent recycling in tons by 2011, but the state has taken no steps to find out if it’s meeting that standard. “We collect no data in Oklahoma (at the state level) about the amount of materials recycled,” said Fenton Rood, Assistant Division Direction with the land protection division of the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. 
 
With the percentage recycled compared to total waste, Oklahoma City and Tulsa are recycling around 16 percent, according to waste and recycling authorities in the two cities. With two-thirds of the states population in those multi-county metro areas, Rood estimates Oklahoma is exceeding its 10 percent goal. 
 
There are a number of challenges for Oklahoma to increase the amount of waste it recycles. State experts say processing and managing recyclables is cost prohibitive in non-urban communities. In addition, fewer and cheaper recycling and waste fees compared to other states are not giving incentives for consumers to recycle more.
 
For the complete audio report on recycling efforts in Oklahoma, go to Oklahoma Watch Report.