The Woodlands Township continues Recycle Right education program with cart tags

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- The Woodlands Township Environmental Services Department is continuing the Recycle Right education program this fall. Since its inception in 2020, Recycle Right has helped The Woodlands reduce recycling contamination by 14 percent.

Recycle Right provides straightforward guidelines for residents, clarifying what belongs in our curbside recycle carts and, just as important, what does not. By placing only accepted materials in our recycle carts, we keep contamination low and the Township’s recycling program running strong.

As part of Recycle Right, Township staff will place an educational tag on all residential curbside carts between October and November of 2021. Tags are for general education only; no inspections of cart contents will be made.

Residents are encouraged to save the tag and refer to it when questioning whether an item belongs in their cart. The golden rule: if it’s not on the tag, it doesn’t belong in the cart. Unacceptable items, regardless of the material they are made of, will not get recycled. As well, they degrade the value of the acceptable items and cause problems for the staff and equipment at the recycling facility.

Common contaminants include plastic bags, greasy pizza boxes, Styrofoam, wires, yard trimmings and coat hangers. And please, never bag recyclables. Good recyclables that are bundled inside a plastic bag may be treated as a contaminant and discarded at the recycle center. Place all recyclables loose into your cart.

“Changes in international recycling markets have led to stricter quality standards for recyclable materials. To help meet these standards and keep our residential recycling program strong, The Woodlands Township has set a goal of less than 25 percent contamination in the residential curbside program. We are achieving this goal at the current time, and we need every household’s help to continue to do so.” says Township Environmental Services Manager John Geiger.

For more information about The Township residential recycling program, including options for recycling items that can’t be placed curbside, please contact The Woodlands Township Environmental Services Department at http://www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/recycling; enviro@thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov or by calling 281-210-3800.

Cart Tagging Procedure

When: October – November, 2021
Where: All single-family homes within the Township
What: Township employees will be placing an educational tag on each recycling cart on their regular service day.

Residential Recycling Guidelines

• Do not bag recyclables.

• Do not put plastic bags in cart.

• Empty, rinse and put caps back on container.