The Top 5 Summer Contaminators We See at the Recycling Facility

Published on July 08, 2026

Picture this, it's a beautiful summer day, and you're enjoying a walk with your favorite furry friend. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and then the moment strikes… They need to go.

You step off the sidewalk, give them a little privacy, and wait patiently. Once the job is done, you pull out your trusty blue plastic bag and hold up your end of the bargain. They don't bark at the mail carrier (much), and you clean up after them. Fair trade.

Mission complete.

You tie off the bag, finish your walk, and head home. As you're thinking about all the fun things you have planned this summer, you toss that blue bag into your blue recycling cart and continue on with your day.

Did you catch the stinky mistake?

Just because the color matches the bin, doesn't mean it belongs there.

Here at the Outagamie County Recycling & Solid Waste facility, we have a seriously smelly problem every summer. Dog poo… Dog waste bags showing up in the recycling stream. While we'd like to believe it's usually an accident, even one bag of pet waste can contaminate recyclable materials and create unpleasant working conditions for facility staff.

And dog waste isn't the only summertime item causing trouble.

From tanglers like garden hoses to kiddie pools, some of the most common summer items we see in recycling carts can damage equipment, slow down operations, or contaminate otherwise recyclable materials.

Read on to discover the top five summer contaminators we encounter at the recycling facility and learn how you can help keep our equipment running smoothly and recycle right in Outagamie County!

Bagged Dog Poop

Let's start with the obvious (and grossest) one.

• Pet waste should never go in your recycling cart, even if it's contained in a plastic bag. That’s a double whammy!  Film plastics shouldn’t be in your recycling cart either. Animal waste can contaminate otherwise recyclable materials and create unpleasant conditions for the employees who sort through this material every day.

• While recycling equipment is tough, it's not designed to handle pet waste. Nobody wants to open a bag expecting recyclable materials and discover a surprise waiting inside.

• Pet waste belongs in the trash, not the recycling cart.

Garden Hoses and Other "Tanglers"

Is it a snake?! Is it a giant worm?! Ooh no, it’s even worse! It’s a garden hose! Ropes, chains, and extension cords, ooh my!

• At the recycling facility, we group hoses together with rope, chains, extension cords, and similar materials into a category we call "tanglers."

• These items wrap around screens, shafts, and rotating equipment throughout the sorting process. In some cases, employees must stop equipment and manually cut the material out before operations can continue.

• A single hose might not seem like a big deal, but when hundreds arrive throughout the season, the downtime adds up quickly.

• If it can tangle, it doesn't belong in your recycling cart.

Landscape Edging

Summer landscaping projects often generate old rolls of plastic landscape edging.

• Unfortunately, these long strips of plastic create many of the same challenges as hoses and ropes. They can become tangled in sorting equipment and are not accepted through our curbside recycling program.

• Because landscape edging is often dirty from years of being buried underground, it can introduce soil and debris into the recycling process. For that reason this material is NOT acceptable as a rigid plastic either.

• Landscape edging should be disposed of in the trash.

Inflatable and Plastic Kiddie Pools

Nothing says summer quite like a kiddie pool.

• Unfortunately, once they're cracked, faded, or punctured, many residents assume they belong in the recycling cart because they are plastic. They do NOT.

• Inflatable and soft sided pools are typically made from flexible plastics that are not accepted in our recycling stream. Hard plastic kiddie pools are also too bulky for the recycling system and can jam equipment designed to sort bottles, cans, paper, and cardboard.

• We do accept rigid plastic kiddie pools as a DROP OFF item only at our Resource Recovery Park.

Plant Pots

• Plant pots may look recyclable, but appearances can be deceiving.

• Many nursery pots are made from plastics that are not accepted in curbside recycling programs. They often arrive with soil, roots, and plant material still attached, which can contaminate recyclable loads.

• Before tossing them out, consider reusing them for future gardening projects or sharing them with fellow gardeners.

• When in doubt, keep them out.

Honorable Mention: Tarps

Tarps didn't quite make our Top 5 list, but they're still a recurring problem during summer cleanup projects.

• Just like hoses and landscape edging, tarps can wrap around equipment and create major headaches for facility operators. Their size and flexibility make them particularly troublesome once they enter the sorting system.

• Tarps belong in the trash, not the recycling cart.

Keep It Simple

When you're standing in front of your recycling cart wondering whether something belongs inside, remember the materials our recycling system is designed to handle:

• Bottles
• Cans
• Paper
• Cardboard

If an item is long, flexible, inflatable, covered in dirt, or filled with pet waste, there's a great chance it doesn't belong in the recycling cart.

By keeping these common contaminants out of the recycling stream, you're helping protect equipment, improve recycling quality, and make the sorting process safer for the people who work hard every day to keep recycling moving in Outagamie County.

When in doubt, use the Waste Wizard search tool or contact Outagamie County Recycling & Solid Waste for guidance.

Together, we can keep recycling clean, efficient, and just a little less smelly this summer!