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Curbside Recycling | Other Recycling | Building Materials Reuse Warehouse | Stop Trashing Houston | Go Green | Woody Waste Program | Biodegradable Bags Pilot
Curbside Recycling - Curbside recycling is the largest and most popular recycling program in Houston . Curbside recycling requires residents to place newspaper, magazines, telephone books, aluminum and tin cans, advertising mail, corrugated cardboard, plastic soft drink, milk and water containers, together in the same bin. Each bin holds 18 gallons of recycling material and is itself made out of 25% recycled plastic and 75% virgin material. Used oil is also collected and is placed next to the bin in clean containers with screw-on tops.
Curbside recycling was changed from a weekly to a biweekly service to reduce the number of trips into the neighborhoods, thereby reducing fuel consumption and emissions. Biweekly service is also more cost-efficient for the department by ensuring the bins are full on collection day.
Neighborhoods that would like to be considered for future recycling expansion are placed on a waiting list. Please note that your neighborhood must be within the Houston City limits and not currently in a sponsorship program (homeowners association receives rebate from the city for garbage service); on a private street; and/or in a gated community. We are requesting that you provide the following information (in writing) to have your neighborhood added to the waiting list. When resources become available, you will be notified.
1. Name of neighborhood/subdivision/garbage service day
2. Name, address, phone number of a contact person
3. The subdivision must consist of at least 100 homes or be next to, or adjacent to an existing curbside recycling area with the same garbage service day.
4. Map of the desired area clearly showing all boundaries
Your letter should be mailed to the Solid Waste Management Department, 611 Walker, 12th Floor, Houston, TX 77002 Attn: Curbside Recycling Program.
The City has invested $350,000 to revitalize the curbside recycling program. Current participation rate is approximately 20%. The goal set by Mayor White is to raise that rate to 40% and to increase the volume of materials citizens recycle by hosting competitions with rewards of community improvement valued at $5,000 for the best performing neighborhoods.
Other Recycling - In addition to curbside recycling, there's a new push to increase the overall recycling efforts in the Houston area. The City of Houston has partnered with the recycling company, Abitibi, and with H-E-B to collect recyclable products all across the city at H-E-B stores.
The partnership, allows Abitibi to prominently place its distinctive containers at 22 H-E-B store locations for the collection of paper, plastics, aluminum and metals , adding additional recycling locations to the already operating city recycling depositories. Abitibi will collect and weigh the recycled materials and directly pay a portion to Keep Houston Beautiful, based on the company's per weight pay scale. These proceeds will be used to support local initiatives such as recycling educational programs and materials for children and community clean-up as well as landscaping efforts. In 2006, Abitibi-Consolidated contributed more than $4 million to schools, churches and not-for-profit organizations for their paper recovery efforts and saved approximately 8.5 million cubic yards of landfill space.
Also, the City of Houston and other partners, the Houston Astros, and the Houston Texans have teamed up with Waste Management to further promote recycling in the City of Houston . Waste Management is working with Aramark Facility Services and together will place several hundred recycling containers throughout Minute Maid Park and Reliant Stadium. Fans of all ages are now encouraged to do their part by recycling their cardboard, plastic, aluminum bottles and other trash before they leave each game.
Building Materials Reuse Warehouse – The City of Houston’s Building Materials Reuse Warehouse, located at 9003 N. Main, accepts building materials that are in new or reusable condition from builders, remodelers and the general public. These materials are accepted free of charge and are made available at no cost to local non-profit organizations.
According to a 2004 - 2005 study completed by the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) and the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC), approximately 38% of the waste stream in the Houston area is construction and demolition (C&D) material.
To find out more on how you can help to reduce the number of reusable building materials that are going into local landfills while also helping some of your fellow Houstonians, please visit: www.houstonreuse.org.
Stop Trashing Houston - Houston 's great neighborhoods, warm climate and friendly citizens make it a great place to call home, however, many Houston neighborhoods report having a huge problem. It's trash!
Trash placed at the wrong time in front of homes, dumped in neighborhoods, and left to litter our roadways and communities. The City of Houston , citizens, and the private sector have joined forces to combat this problem, and their goal is simple . . . Stop Trashing Houston!
The purpose of the Stop Trashing Houston campaign is to create a catalyst for change in the neighborhoods that suffer from these problems.
By combining public education with added enforcement, Stop Trashing Houston can eliminate illegal dumping and littering by effectively changing behavior - making Houston a cleaner, more livable city.
Go Green - Houston 's Solid Waste Management Department has formed a "Go Green" team to work towards getting citizens excited about recycling and about making Houston a model environmental city.
Furthermore, the City has worked closely with our professional sports stadiums to offer recycling opportunities for fans. As a result, both Minute Maid Park , and the Reliant Center now offer recycling bins throughout their stadiums.
The City has additionally increased recycling by partnering with HEB, Abitibi, and Keep Houston Beautiful, to place x recycling bins in HEB parking lots around the City, making it easier for residents to recycle their material.
Woody Waste Program - Studies indicate that 30-40 %, by weight, of the material collected in the City's Heavy Trash program consists of recyclable tree waste, which can be diverted from the landfill. The City estimates a potential diversion of 30,000 - 50,000 tons per year, when the program is implemented citywide.
Tree waste is defined as clean wood waste consisting of tree limbs, branches, and stumps; other organic materials generated from routine grounds maintenance, and cleaned untreated lumber.
The City has identified specific Heavy Trash routes in two quadrant collection areas to participate in the pilot program. The City estimates a savings of $236,544 per year in landfill savings by diverting an estimated 1,540 tons of heavy tree waste trash.
The Tree Waste Recycling Pilot Program begun October 15, 2007 and will proceed for a period of one year. The success of the program will be monitored throughout the year and a determination made whether to continue with expansion efforts upon the completion of the pilot program. If successful, the City will convert the pilot areas to permanent program status and then expand the system to the remaining heavy trash service areas.
Biodegradable Bags Pilot - The City is examining ways to increase the efficiency and diversion of material collected through the yard waste program. The Solid Waste Management Department is pilot testing five different brands of biodegradable bag for yard clippings. Bags will be rated based on feedback both from collection crews on the stability of the bag curbside, and from the compost vendor on the breakdown of the bag in their product.
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