Houston Recycles

 

Improve Curbside Residential Recycling
Beginning May 3, 2021, Houston SWMD put "Feet on the Street" to monitor and tag recycling bins. Get more information on this recycling education program and 'Oops Tags'. MORE ».

Curbside Recycling Information

Residents who receive SWMD Collection Services are provided with a large, 96-gallon green recycling bin. Recycling is collected every other week on the same day as your garbage is collected. Check your collection schedule here.

Recycling right is just as important as recycling more. Contamination harms the program by making it hard to recover clean recyclables at the sorting center. To help protect the curbside recycling program, remember to keep it clean and when in doubt, throw it out.

See the images and list below for what to and what not to put in your recycling cart. Remember most recyclables are packaging items from products found in the kitchen, bath and laundry of your home. All recycling items must be empty and clean before placing in the recycling bin. Place items loose into the cart - do not bag recycling.

Contamination Flyer

Contamination Flyer - SPANISH

Recycling Calendar.

Know your service collection days.

• Metal and Cans: Aluminum and Tin Cans. Examples include soup cans, vegetable cans, fruit cans, coffee cans (emptied and rinsed)
• Cartons: Both gable top and shelf-stable food and beverage cartons. Examples include milk cartons, juice cartons, soup cartons, soy milk/alternative milk cartons (emptied and rinsed)
• Glass: Bottles, jugs and jars only (emptied and rinsed)
• Paper: Newspaper, magazines, catalogs, junk mail, office paper
• Cardboard: Cardboard and cereal boxes (emptied of packing materials and flattened)
• Plastic: Bottles, tubs and jugs #1 - 5 and 7. Examples include water and soda bottles, milk jugs, yogurt cups, margarine tubs, detergent bottles, shampoo bottles. (emptied and rinsed)

Do NOT put the following in your GREEN RECYCLING container: Batteries/Electronics; Shredded Paper; Tanglers (cords, hoses, wires, clothing); Food/Liquids; Trash and Bagged Recycling; Furniture and Household Goods; Scrap Wood and Scrap Metal (NO Helium Tanks); Yard Waste.. Chemicals and hot ashes cause truck fires.

Batteries or Electronics Shredded Paper Tanglers Food or Liquid 5. No Bags/ No Trash Batteries Household Items or Furniture Scrap Metal or Wood Yard Waste

Other Resources

With over 350 materials and 100,000+ listings, we maintain one of North America's most extensive recycling databases. Simply key the item you are wanting recycling information on and view the results. VISIT