Last Updated on April 18, 2024, 11:57 AM | Published: April 18, 2024
The City of Oklahoma City Utilities Department sends this information as posted below:
April is Earth Month, and for residents tackling spring cleaning projects, here are a few tips from the Oklahoma City Utilities Department on how to make your cleaning efforts more earth- or eco-friendly.
Recycle Right. Help ensure your recyclables don’t end up in a landfill by following these simple rules:
- Don’t recycle plastic bags or put your recycling inside of a plastic bag. Keep all items loose in your Big Green recycling cart.
- Don’t toss food or liquids into your recycling cart.
- Make sure all recyclable bottles, tubs and containers are empty, clean, and dry.
- When in doubt, leave it out! Make sure to Recycle Right by recycling only what’s listed on our website at okc.gov/recycle.
Oklahoma City customers recycled more than 16,000 net tons of materials last year, but we know we can do even better. If you’re new to recycling, or are hesitant to begin, start simply by recycling only cardboard, paper, clean and empty plastic and glass bottles, and empty aluminum cans. Every little bit adds up and helps divert recyclable materials away from our landfills, so we can sustain them for generations to come.
Don’t bag it or put it down the drain. Instead, try composting. Raked leaves and grass clippings make a great base for any compost pile. Toss in some vegetable scraps, coffee grounds and other organic material, add water from time to time, stir frequently and let stew, and you’ll have a nutrient-rich soil additive in no time.
Conserve water by mulching your grass clippings. Toss dead leaves and grass clippings into your flower bed and till them in with existing soil. You can also let grass clippings rest on top of your lawn to create a mulch that will help the soil retain water and add needed nutrients to feed your grass roots.
Return meds properly. Flushing medications, or pouring them down the drain, can impact our wastewater system and cause microbes used in sewer treatment to not filter out contaminants as well as they should. You can find a drug disposal location online at Safe.Pharmacy and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics.
Check for leaks. Basic household leaks can waste thousands of gallons of water annually. Perform a quick toilet leak check in your home by listening for running water, and/or performing a color drop test. Simply add a drop or two of food coloring to the toilet tank and wait ten minutes. If color ends up in the toilet bowl, you may have a silent leak. Other places to look include under each sink, and behind your dishwasher and/or washing machine, and your hot water tank.
Water wisely. Wasteful watering practices are not only detrimental to our water supply, they also come at an unnecessary added cost to you. Make sure you water only what your grass needs, and check your sprinkler system for broken or missing heads, misdirected heads, or high pressure. All these practices can end up wasting thousands of gallons of water and can cause you to have a high water bill.
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