Houston Goes Green!

It's time to recycle!  The City of Houston has launched a new Go Green campaign to increase curbside recycling participation.  Many neighborhoods in the Houston area have a less than 50% participation rate.  The city is offering a reward of $5,000 to neighborhoods that increase their participation the most and those that increase the amount of recycling the most.  The money can be used for any city approved project in the winning neighborhoods.

Neighborhoods will be evaluated in four different categories.  The most improved paper recycling, overall highest paper recycling, the most improved co-mingled items, and the highest overall co-mingled items.  To find out more about recycling in your area go to http://www.houstontx.gov.

The city plans to send recycling information through newspaper and bill inserts, door hangers, recycling guides, and visits by city staff to schools, day camps, park programs, and libraries.  If you do not have curbside recycling available in your area you are encouraged to use the drop off facilities placed throughout Houston.  A new contract between the City of Houston Solid Waste Management Department and Abitibi-Consolidated, Inc. to handle the recycled materials will help reduce air emissions and save time by providing a single facility for sorting all of the recyclables.

Those neighborhoods that continue to fall below 50% participation are in jeopardy of losing their curbside recycling services.  Neighborhoods must register to be eligible for the $5,000 reward.  Now is the time to have a meeting in your neighborhood to discuss this opportunity.  For more information about recycling services available in your area call 311 or go online to www.gogreenhouston.org.