DELAWARE — Children of the 1970s and 1980s will remember Woodsy Owl and his message “Give a Hoot, Don’t Pollute.” The public education campaign by the United States Forestry Service promoted environmental awareness and encouraged children to care for nature.
Now, in 2026, Woodsy is back in the City of Delaware.
City refuse and recycling trucks are now sporting new Woodsy Owl decals; they’re carrying an important safety message.
The new decals are part of two public education campaigns aimed at protecting residents, City employees, and critical equipment by encouraging the safe disposal of lithium-ion batteries and reducing contamination in curbside yard waste collection.
The campaigns come after the City has experienced multiple fires in refuse collection trucks caused by improperly disposed lithium-ion batteries. These fires pose a serious threat drivers, trucks and facilities. A single refuse collection truck costs nearly $500,000 to replace and can take up to four years to receive after ordering.
The educational decals will serve as rolling reminders throughout the community that simple disposal habits can prevent fires and protect essential City services.
“Skip the Bin, Turn Your Batteries In”
Lithium-ion batteries have become a part of everyday life, powering cell phones, laptops, tablets, power tools, toys, e-bikes, and countless other rechargeable devices. But when these batteries are thrown into household trash or recycling carts, they can become dangerous.
Damaged or punctured batteries can ignite during collection or processing, causing fires.
To help prevent these incidents, the City’s Solid Waste Collection Division has partnered with the National Waste & Recycling Foundation’s “Skip the Bin, Turn Your Batteries In” campaign. Developed in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and Woodsy Owl, the nationwide initiative promotes safe battery disposal through public education, community outreach, and battery take-back programs.
“Proper battery disposal is one of the simplest things residents can do to help keep our employees and community safe,” said Public Works Superintendent Shane Harding . “A rechargeable battery may seem harmless, but once it enters the waste or recycling stream, it can have devastating consequences.”
Residents should never place lithium-ion or rechargeable batteries in trash or recycling containers. Instead, batteries should be taken to an approved battery recycling or collection site.
Keeping Yard Waste Clean
The City’s second campaign focuses on reducing contamination in curbside yard waste collection.
Every load of yard waste collected by the City is transported to a composting facility where it is recycled into products such as mulch, compost, and fertilizer. When residents place plastic bags, trash, or other non-compostable materials in yard waste containers, those materials contaminate the entire load.
High contamination rates reduce the amount of material that can be recycled and limit the City’s disposal options. In some cases, contaminated loads can become too costly or impractical to process.
Many communities have discontinued curbside yard waste collection because of contamination challenges. Maintaining clean loads helps ensure Delaware can continue providing this service while supporting environmentally responsible composting.
Learn More
Residents can learn more about proper lithium-ion battery disposal, find battery recycling resources, and access educational materials by visiting BatterySafetyNow.org.
The City encourages all residents to take a few extra moments to dispose of batteries properly and keep yard waste free of contamination. These small actions help protect first responders, sanitation workers, City facilities, and the essential services residents rely on every day. Refuse and Recycling Collection | Delaware, OH
