WHAT WE THROW AWAY TELLS A BIGGER STORY ABOUT CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
ACOG’s first regional solid waste assessment reveals where communities are succeeding, where gaps remain and where working together could create new opportunities.
When Winter Storm Uri struck Oklahoma in 2021, communities across Central Oklahoma faced an immediate and highly visible challenge: an enormous amount of storm debris that had to be collected, transported and managed.
The experience brought greater attention to something cities and counties deal with every day. What happens to all the material our communities discard — and could some of it be managed more effectively by working together?
That question helped shape a regional priority.
In 2022, ACOG Board members called for a coordinated approach to waste reduction, reuse, recycling and composting. ACOG subsequently worked with the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to develop a three-phase strategy: Assess → Plan → Implement.
With funding from DEQ, ACOG undertook Phase I: the Central Oklahoma Regional Solid Waste Management Assessment, establishing the first comprehensive picture of solid waste services and infrastructure across eight counties, 99 municipalities and approximately 1.6 million residents.
Looking Beyond the Trash Can
Understanding how Central Oklahoma manages discarded materials required looking at the system from several angles.
The assessment examined DEQ regulatory and landfill receipt data, the region’s solid waste facilities, municipal plans and agreements, EPA landfill gas and emissions data, pharmaceutical drop-off records and practices in peer regions. ACOG also conducted interviews with people working directly in solid waste and materials management.
But data alone couldn’t tell the whole story.
Through Trash Talks: We’re Listening, ACOG invited Central Oklahomans to share their experiences with trash, recycling and other services. Between November 2025 and May 2026, the effort generated 4,172 survey responses and 282 open-text comments from 366 participants.
Input also came from 43 municipal public works staff and 29 ACOG Board members, along with in-depth interviews involving experts from local and state government, recycling and composting businesses, nonprofits, higher education, cooperative extension and a federal installation. Public-facing materials were offered in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Mandarin Chinese.
Taken together, the numbers and experiences revealed several important themes.
99 Communities — But Mostly 99 Approaches
One of the clearest findings was the limited amount of coordination happening across jurisdictional lines.
Just 24 of the region’s 99 municipalities collaborate on materials management.
Most municipalities negotiate their own contracts, develop their own programs and invest in infrastructure independently. That can limit economies of scale, constrain service options and make shared investment more difficult.
Central Oklahoma doesn’t have to look far for examples of another approach.
The Oklahoma Environmental Management Authority (OEMA) in Canadian County and the Metropolitan Environmental Trust (MET) in the Tulsa area demonstrate that formal collaboration among communities is possible in Oklahoma.
The assessment doesn’t suggest that every service should be regionalized. It does, however, provide a basis for asking an important question: Where could collaboration make sense?
Your ZIP Code Can Make a Big Difference
The assessment also found that access to services and infrastructure isn’t evenly distributed.
Central Oklahoma currently has 10 permitted landfills, five transfer stations, 17 municipal recycling centers and three household hazardous waste facilities. But their locations — and residents’ ability to use them — vary considerably across the region.
Residents in rural areas, outer-ring municipalities and multifamily housing described challenges that can look very different from those experienced by single-family households in larger cities.
Those include narrower lists of accepted materials, limited bulk waste service, drop-off locations 10 to 20 miles away and, in some cases, no practical access to recycling.
Geography isn’t the only factor. Population and local fiscal capacity also affect what services communities can provide.
And the challenge is evolving as Central Oklahoma grows.
More People Means More Material to Manage
The region added approximately 157,000 residents over the past decade. As communities add homes, businesses and people, demand for solid waste services and infrastructure grows with them.
In some places, that growth is already putting pressure on existing systems. Canadian County, for example, is identified in the assessment as the state’s fastest-growing county, with growth outpacing solid waste infrastructure capacity and accessibility.
Survey responses also point toward services Central Oklahomans may use if they become more widely available. Forty-eight percent of respondents said they would compost if they had access to it. And 82% of surveyed ACOG Board members supported updating state solid waste law or funding.
There’s Plenty to Build On
Phase I didn’t just identify challenges. It also uncovered programs and assets already working across the region.
Two DEQ-permitted composting sites — Bergen Enterprises and Prairie Dirt Solutions — divert approximately 170,000 cubic yards of organic material annually.
ACOG’s USDA-funded community composting pilot has diverted 34 tons of food waste through a network of 20 drop-off sites operated with Fertile Ground Cooperative.
And Norman reports an 88% recycling participation rate, alongside year-round household hazardous waste and e-waste drop-off, a swap shop and a free compost program.
These aren’t hypothetical solutions. They’re examples of work already happening in Central Oklahoma that could inform future conversations.
What About That Old Phone in Your Drawer?
Electronic waste emerged as one particularly interesting opportunity.
Phones, computers and other electronics contain valuable materials, including metals used to manufacture semiconductors, computer chips and other technology. Recycling those products can recover materials rather than sending them to landfills.
Yet the assessment found that only 9% of survey respondents regularly recycle electronics and 12% regularly recycle batteries.
At the same time, 52% of ACOG Board respondents selected a regional e-waste pilot as a priority.
There are already local models to consider. Norman conducts biannual drive-through e-waste recycling events, while Edmond residents can arrange household hazardous waste and e-waste collection directly from their homes through a partnership with Republic Services.
As Oklahoma expands its role in advanced manufacturing, recovering useful materials from yesterday’s electronics also creates an opportunity to think differently about what we call “waste.” Materials discarded today may still have value in the supply chain tomorrow.
From Assessment to Planning
Phase I was designed to answer a fundamental question: Where are we today?
Now Central Oklahoma has a much stronger answer.
The assessment provides a common baseline for communities that previously had no comprehensive regional picture of services, infrastructure, access and opportunities.
The next step is to use those findings to inform development of a Central Oklahoma Materials Management Plan involving cities, counties, citizens, DEQ, private-sector partners and nonprofit organizations. The Board presentation identifies Phase II as the opportunity to move from assessment to planning.
ACOG is working with DEQ on next steps and seeking funding to continue that work.
The ultimate goal isn’t to make every community manage its materials the same way. It’s to give communities better information, identify opportunities that may make sense to pursue together and plan for the needs of a region that continues to grow.
Explore the Assessment
Want the quick version or the full detail?
View the Assessment Presentation
A visual overview of the assessment, including key findings, regional infrastructure, public input and next steps.
Visit the Solid Waste Assessment Web Page
Explore highlights from Phase I and learn more about ACOG’s regional solid waste planning work.
Read the Full Assessment
Dive into the complete Central Oklahoma Regional Solid Waste Management Assessment: Phase I.