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The Woodlands Township Environmental Services Department is continuing the Recycle Right education program after a successful rollout in 2020. Recycle Right helped The Woodlands reduce recycling contamination by 14 percent compared to 2019.

Recycle Right provides simple, straightforward guidelines for residents of The Woodlands, clarifying what belongs in our curbside recycle carts and, more importantly, what does not. By placing only accepted materials in the recycle carts, residents keep contamination low and the Township’s recycling program running strong. 

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As part of Recycle Right, Township staff will place an educational tag on all residential curbside carts between February and April 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 the cart. A guide to acceptable items can also be found on top of each yellow recycle cart lid. The golden rule:   if it’s not on the tag, it doesn’t belong in the cart. 

Unacceptable items, regardless of the material they’re made of, are considered contaminants, and do not get recycled. They degrade the value of the acceptable items and cause issues for the staff and sorting equipment at the recycle center. Common contaminants include plastic bags, greasy pizza boxes, Styrofoam, wires, yard trimmings and coat hangers. 

Residents are also reminded to NEVER BAG RECYCLABLES. Good recyclables that are bundled inside a plastic bag are treated as a contaminant and discarded at the recycle center. All recyclables are to be put loose into the recycling 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 meeting this goal at the current time, but 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 visit The Woodlands Township Environmental Services Department website or, email enviro@thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov or call 281-210-3800.

Cart Tagging Procedure
When: February – April, 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
1. Do not bag recyclables.
2. Do not put plastic bags in cart.
3. Empty, rinse and put caps back on container.