SAN ANTONIO — It's something that could happen to all of us.
Residents mistakenly disposing of items that don't belong in the recycle bin. The City of San Antonio's Solid Waste Management Department said it happens all of the time with customers.
Most times it ends with a friendly reminder to customers. After multiple offenses, it could lead up to a cash fine.
Recently, Jeremy Whitmore received a warning citation in his recycle cart and to his surprise it was for contaminants found inside. He opened the lid to his bin and found a bag of dog waste sitting on tops of his recyclables.
He believes it was from a neighbor who was walking by with their dog.
"There's always a lot of foot traffic in the morning and people walking their dogs," said Whitmore.
Whitmore trashed the poo and called the city's 3-1-1 hotline to request an out of cycle pick. However, when Whitmore told the service assistant he had been cited, they said collectors couldn't come pick it up.
"I was told I had to wait for the next go around for trash collection," said Whitmore.
He called the inspector to explain what happen and find out more information.
"It's clear they cannot retroactively go around and pick up all of the bins with contaminants in it because apparently this happens all of the time," he said.
Inspectors patrol bins at random and not all contaminants are found. They can also range in materials and not just human or animal waste.
Solid Waste Management said if a contaminant reaches the recycling facility, it becomes a safety hazard for workers. The facility can also charge the city department a high fee.
The department said it's an ongoing educational process. They also suggest solving the problem neighbor to neighbor. If offenses keeps happening, they suggest calling 3-1-1 to report it.
"We trust our customers. If someone says, I got this notice and I just want to make sure it's known it wasn't me. It was a mistake on someone else's part. Then we will appreciate the customer for bringing that to our attention," said Marcus Lee of Solid Waste Management.
However, Lee said the process is still the same. The contaminant has to come out before collectors can return to pick it up. If requested, the department can send an additional temporary cart for recyclables.
If you are unsure what does or doesn't belong in your recycle bin, you can visit this website.
As for Whitmore, he just has a simple requests for his neighbors.
"Just be a better neighbor and don't put it in the recycling cart. Don't put it in the blue bin, it causes more issues," said Whitmore.