Tulsa Recycling Plant Busy With Christmas Waste

The recycling sorting facility that serves Tulsa and the suburbs is fully operational and having the busiest week since it reopened after a major fire.

“We're going to be seeing by the end of January, maybe 9 or 10 million pounds of recyclables coming through” said Robert Pickens, the Vice President for Recycling at American Waste Control.

Pickens said daily collections are up 12 percent for the current week.

The plant burned in April of 2021, ending processing until the entire machine could be replaced. The replacement is more advanced, with artificial intelligence and robotic arms helping sort out material.

American Waste Control believes it's the most advanced sorting system in a five-state region.

Contamination is still a problem and in the summer, City inspectors look into cans at the curb and leave notes to let people know what shouldn't be in there.

Despite the advancements in technology, the machine still has 14 people working on it, mostly pulling out material that can’t be recycled.

The sorted-out products are packaged and sold, according to Pickens, mostly for recycling inside the state.

“We thoroughly believe in supporting the economy in Oklahoma, and jobs in Oklahoma, and the recyclables that don't have a market in Oklahoma, they stay here in the US."

The more advanced equipment expanded the list of what can be recycled, but the main product is still cardboard.