AirTags Uncover Dirty Secrets in Houston’s Recycling Program

A Houston resident decided to drop AirTags into the trash to track the city’s recycling program. She later found out that the plastic was not being recycled at all.

According to Apple Insider, Brandy Deason, a climate justice coordinator for Air Alliance Houston, began questioning herself if the city’s “all plastic accepted” recycling program worked properly. She often recycles her waste, so she decided to include a set of AirTags, a GPS-tracking device, in her plastic recycling.

Of all the bags she tracked, she said nearly all of them ended up in a company called Wright Waste Management. Upon further investigation, it was found that the company is not approved to store plastic waste and has dialed three fire inspections.

A joint investigation by CBS and Inside Climate News found massive amounts of unrecycled plastic waste piling up at Wright Waste Management.

Deason contacted Houston’s Director of Solid Waste Management Mark Wilfalk to ask about the waste, and he admitted that the city had collected about 250 tons of plastic since the end of 2022, and none of it had been recycled.

Deason’s findings prompted further scrutiny of Houston’s recycling infrastructure. Reports highlighted that recycling facilities were overwhelmed, failing inspections, or not operational. Environmental watchdogs have tracked these issues for years, warning of the environmental dangers associated with such large-scale waste mismanagement.