The Woodlands Township earns Beautify Texas Award for recycling program

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- The Woodlands Township has received the prestigious 2022 Outstanding Public Education and Outreach Award by Keep Texas Beautiful for The Township’s Recycle Right program. The Beautify Texas Awards recognize the best efforts of working to enhance their community and protect the Lone Star State.

“The Woodlands Township and its predecessors have had a long history of promoting environmental sustainability,” said Chairman of the Board Gordy Bunch. “The Woodlands Township’s residential recycling program continues to be a model for communities across the state and one of the best in the country. This highest state-wide award reflects the commitment and outstanding work of Township team members towards protecting the natural environment of The Woodlands for generations to come.”

“Township Environmental Services works diligently to educate residents about the importance of recycling and the impact of making environmentally-sound choices,” said Township Environmental Services Manager John Geiger. “More than 93 percent of households choose to recycle each week and this award underscores that we’re doing it the right way, keeping plastic bags and other contaminants out of the cart.”

The Recycle Right program is led by Township Environmental Services with the goal of keeping the recycling stream clear of contaminants. The program, launched in 2020, has reduced contamination of curbside recyclables by 30 percent (24.5 percent in 2019 to 17.2 percent in 2021). Recycle Right provides simple, straight-forward guidelines for residents of The Woodlands, clarifying what belongs in curbside recycle carts and, more importantly, what does not.

A critical component of the Recycle Right program is the education tag placed on all residential curbside carts. 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 is not on the tag, it does not belong in the cart.

Keep Texas Beautiful is a 501(c)3 nonprofit with more than 50 years of experience deploying resources for local clean-up, recycling and youth engagement efforts. The Woodlands Township Environmental Services Department will be honored at the Keep Texas Beautiful Annual Conference in June.

For more information about the Township residential recycling program, including options for recycling items that can’t be placed curbside, please visit www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/recycling.

For more information about The Woodlands Township, please visit www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov or call 281-210-3800.