San Antonio issues fines for recycling violations

Residents who deposit trash in recycling bins may be fined $25.

The San Antonio Express-News reports that residents of San Antonio may be fined $25 by the city’s Solid Waste Management Department for depositing trash in their curbside recycling bins. 

The fines are a result of repeated confusion on the part of residents of how to properly dispose of material. According to the article, Solid Waste Management Department employees have been removing several hundred pounds of garbage from the recycling stream, including trash bags, hypodermic needles and used diapers.
 
Residents will receive a tag on their recycling bins for the first infraction. The bins will be inspected for repeated violations, which will be documented. After two warnings, fines will be tacked on to monthly CPS Energy bills, the newspaper says.   
 
Councilman Ray Saldaña told the newspaper that the fines are a citywide necessity, as educational outreach efforts apparently have failed to inform residents how to properly dispose of waste and recyclables.