Massachusetts City Misspells Its Own Bags To Catch Cheats

No, managers with Gloucester's Public Works Department aren't idiots. They're just trying to catch cheats -- and its working.

When the Massachusetts city unveiled its new $2 purple trash bags that all residents must use when disposing of household waste, the city deliberately spelled 'official' as 'offcial.'

Recycling coordinator Kathy Middleton tells 'The Gloucester Daily Times' the intentional spelling error was committed to make it easier to catch people who try to counterfeit bags since it's been a big problem in the past.

And while it was hatched on a "whim," Middleton said the spelling plan that was a closely guarded secret within the department is already working.

In addition to the misspelling, the bags come with an uneven typeface designed to throw off copiers.

John Craig, regional manager for WasteZero, the company that makes the bags, says he has never before had a community request a deliberate misspelling -- even though the company provides bags in 40 states.

The city will correct the spelling but leave the other measures in place when a second run of the bags is ordered, possibly not for another six months.

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