‘Oops Tag’ Program Encourages Residents to Recycle Correctly  

Montgomery County wants residents to be mindful of what they recycle.

Leaders began the Recycle Right “Oops Tag” Program in May. As part of the program, county inspectors check individual residential recycling bins for unacceptable items. If they find incorrect items, inspectors will leave an “oops tag” asking residents to remove those items for the next pickup.

The county said its recycling center received about 7,500 tons, or about 16.5 million pounds, of non-recyclable items last year. Inspectors will visit all residential areas where the county is responsible for trash/recycling pickup, according to the county. Each neighborhood will be visited 2-3 times.

Inspectors are seeing improvements as they revisit neighborhoods, County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Director Adam Ortiz told MyMCM on Thursday.

In May, the county started its Recycle Right “Oops Tag” Program. If inspectors see incorrect items in residents’ recycling bins, they will leave an “oops” tag asking them to remove those items for the next pickup. @mymcmedia pic.twitter.com/eksA70i2ap

— Maryam Shahzad (@maryam_mcm) July 15, 2021

About Maryam Shahzad

Maryam is a reporter with Montgomery Community Media. She graduated from the University of Maryland in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism. Previously, she was an intern with MCM. She can be reached at mshahzad@mymcmedia.org or on Twitter @maryam_mcm.

View all posts by Maryam Shahzad