The city of Binghamton, N.Y., is implementing a new sticker system to keep single-use plastic bags out of recycling bins.

Single-use plastic bags cannot be processed at recycling facilities and often cause an equipment jam and operational downtime since workers have to pick them out by hand. Residents who have single-use plastic bags in their bins will get marked with a green recycling violation warning sticker.

The stickers serve as a warning to let residents know they need to separate the plastics and not put non-recyclables in the recycling bin. Collection crews will leave contaminated bins at the curb, and residents will have to re-sort and have their recyclables picked up next time.

WBNG News 12 has more:

The City of Binghamton is implementing a new sticker system to kick a common recycling problem to the curb.

Deputy Commissioner of Public Works Mark Donovan says too often single-use plastic bags are put in city recycling bins to be picked up.

The bags can’t be recycled at the private facility used by the city, so workers spend time trying to sort them out by hand.

Read the full article here.