recycle more guide

Recycling Guidelines

/ Environmental Services / Leave a comment

Keep The Woodlands recycling program going strong by refreshing your knowledge of curbside guidelines. Above all, follow the Golden Rule of Recycling: place only the approved items in your recycling cart. Items other than those specified are considered contaminants. Common contaminants included plastic bags, tanglers (cords or string), food waste, hazardous waste, and Styrofoam. These items harm machinery, endanger  workers and reduce the value of the approved materials.   

Many items that don’t belong in your curbside cart can be recycled locally. Find where to take plastic bags, electronics, Styrofoam, batteries and more with The Woodlands Township’s Recycle More Guide.

Did you know? Half of the contamination found in our recycling is bagged recyclables. Are you collecting recyclables in a bag? Simply empty the contents into the cart. Take clean plastic bags back to grocery stores for recycling. Trash the dirty ones. Share this tip with three friends or neighbors to keep our recycling program strong. 

For more information about recycling, visit www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/recyling.  

Check out these recycling tips from previous blogs:      

Questions or comments?

Email enviro@thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov

Get the latest articles delivered right to your inbox!

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR BLOG

Start saving batteries for the Village Recycling Challenge!

/ Environmental Services / Leave a comment

Power to the world’s most convenient, portable energy source: the battery. They come in all shapes and sizes and we couldn’t live without them. Although their convenience mobilizes our lives, their disposal comes at a cost to the environment.  

Batteries make up almost 20% of all household hazardous materials sent to landfills. This presents a problem as the elements used to create power inside a battery- mercury, lead, cadmium, or nickel – leach out when the battery breaks down in the landfill, potentially contaminating the surrounding water table. Batteries incorrectly placed in trash or recycling carts can also cause fires in trucks and machinery when compacted.  

To prevent damage to the environment and potential fire hazards, Texas State law prohibits the landfilling of lead-acid batteries and requires residents to dispose of them with an authorized recycling facility. State law also requires businesses that sell lead acid batteries to accept them for recycling. Dry-cell batteries, or single-use batteries can legally be disposed of in the trash, however it is better to recycle them at a collection site.

Batteries – like many other products – are recyclable, however, they are not accepted at the same sorting facility as residential recycling. To empower residents to recycle beyond our curbside carts, The Woodlands Township Environmental Services Department has selected alkaline AA, AAA, C, D, and 9V Batteries for the annual Village Recycling Challenge. This event will be held at the 3R Bazaar :Recycling Drive-thru on Saturday, November 14, 2020 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Parks, Recreation and Environmental Services Facility (8203 Millennium Forest Drive).

If you don’t already have a stash of used batteries start saving them now! The village that collects the most will receive a donation to its scholarship fund from The Woodlands G.R.E.E.N. Encourage neighbors, friends and family to save their batteries too.  

Can’t wait for 3R Bazaar: Recycling Drive-thru? That’s ok! The Precinct 3 Recycling Center (1122 Pruitt Road in Spring) and Batteries Plus accept alkaline and rechargeable batteries throughout the year. For a comprehensive list of where to take other recycling oddities such as Styrofoam™, electronics, lightbulbs, paints, pharmaceuticals, and more, check out the Recycle More Guide.  

Reduce by buying rechargeable! Rechargeable batteries cost more up front, but save money in the long run, substituting hundreds of single-use batteries. Rechargeables can also be recycled when they’ve outlived their usefulness, preventing unnecessary landfill usage and toxicity to the environment.  

Questions or comments? Contact enviro@thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov

Are you ready for spring?

/ Environmental Services / 5 Comments

Warmer weather is here so pack away those sweaters and coats and get your closet ready for spring. While you’re at it, take a moment to set aside clothes you no longer wear or that your kids have outgrown. Hmmm, now that the closest is clean, what about the garage, or the attic. How about those toys, books and games no one plays with anymore?

Well, now it seems a spring cleaning is in full swing. Once you decide you can live without it, what do you do with it? Can you donate it, recycle it or should it be landfilled? We’ve highlight our top 5 most viewed articles to help you clean house this spring.

1. Recycling Dilemma: Got Stuff?  From bulky items that don’t fit in the trash bin, to scrap metal, appliances and light bulbs, find out how to properly dispose of it all in this quick read.

2. Recycle Right, Recycle Often Need a quick refresher on what CAN and CAN’T go in your curbside recycling bin?

3. Moving Boxes and Oversized Cardboard Did you know that Waste Management has a special pick-up day each month for your village to collect cardboard boxes at the curb?

4. To Bag or Not To Bag  You may have heard, plastic bags create havoc when placed in your recycling cart. For more information on why and what you can do with your clean bags and film, read To Bag or Not To Bag.

5. Resolution for a Greener Year Beyond just spring cleaning, what other actions can you take to reduce, reuse and recycle at home?

For a complete list of resource, visit The Woodlands Township Recycling and Solid Waste  or email enviro@thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov

The power of numbers

/ / Leave a comment

What do you get when a bunch of Woodlands residents join forces with 3R Bazaar and recycle? Tons of fun. And TONS of material for recycling, diverting it from landfills. Over six and a half tons, to be precise.

Over 13,358 pounds of recyclable items were collected at the 2018 3R Bazaar last month.

Over 800 Woodlands residents braved the chilly weather to reduce, reuse, and recycle at this year’s 3R Bazaar on November 10th, 2018. A big, warm “Thanks!” goes out to  everyone who attended this event at its new location, The Woodlands Farmer’s Market. Attendance and participation this year was record-breaking!

Lorax and drums

Let Them Drum joined forces with Waste Management and The Lorax to sound off for recycling.

And another huge “Thanks!” goes out to the team of volunteers who helped empower visitors with knowledge and tips for recycling successfully in our community.

The Woodlands Township Environmental Services Department would also like to thank  the generosity of its sponsors: Waste Management, Gullo Dealerships, Southern Shred and WJPA.

Take a look at what was collected:

3R Bazaar Collection graphic

In addition to this, $1,226.21 and 551 pounds of canned food items were collected for the Interfaith Food Pantry.

The Village Challenge battery collection resulted in a total of  $4,600 donated to the Villages’ scholarship funds by The Woodlands G.R.E.E.N. through the generosity of HEB, WJPA and Woodlands Development Company.

3R bags

Reusable bags are a shopping essential. Remember to bring your own when you shop.

A tip for the new year…

By properly disposing of and keeping batteries out of the landfill, we prevent toxins from leaching into the surrounding water table. Consider investing in rechargeable batteries. They may cost more initially, but each rechargeable battery can substitute for hundreds of single-use batteries. Rechargeables can also be recycled when they’ve outlived their usefulness, preventing unnecessary landfill usage and toxicity to the environment.

Didn’t make it to 3R Bazaar? That’s ok! The Precinct 3 Recycling Center (1122 Pruitt Road in Spring), Home Depot, Lowes, Batteries Plus, Best Buy, and some Walmarts accept batteries all year. Call ahead for specifics and possible fees.

 

Megan Atom and Taylor

Festival mascots reminded the crowd to recycle cans, minimize use of single-use shopping bags, and keep plastic wrap and tanglers out of the recycle bin. Instead, recycle them at your grocery store along with plastic bags.

For a comprehensive list of local recycling opportunities of other oddities such as electronics, light bulbs, paints, pharmaceuticals, and more check out the Recycle More Guide.