Additional information about recycling for HCMUD 383 residents
Board members of Harris County MUD 383 (HCMUD 383) recently toured the recycling facility used by Residential Recycling and Refuse of Texas and saw first hand how recycling is processed.
There have been several news articles recently about recycling and the fact that China is no longer buying our recycling, This facility has actually not sold any products to China in about 2 years. 95% of the recycling stays here in the USA - only newspapers are sent to a recycling facility in Mexico. Of all the items collected at this facility, only 15-18 percent are not recyclable and go to the landfill. While recycling is still a very viable business and HCMUD 383 is committed to our recycling program, recycling is now more expensive than using the landfill.
Please consider the following when you are recycling:
The following can NOT be recycled and will end up in the landfill, so please don't put these in your recycling bins:
- Tops to water bottles, garden hoses, anything 2 inches or less (including wine corks), anything contaminated with food (please rinse food containers), extension cords, Christmas lights, plastic forks, etc, plastic flexible envelopes (like the ones Amazon is using), magnets, light bulbs, aerosol cans. This is in addition to those items listed on the website (biohazard waste, medical waste, pesticides/chemicals, styrofoam of any kind, food-encrusted paper or cardboard, electronics).
The following items CAN be recycled:
- Pizza boxes (even if there is a little grease or cheese), ALL paper (including envelopes with plastic windows, colored paper, glossy paper), plastic bags (PLEASE bag all of the plastic bags together - do not throw them in loosely as they jam the conveyor belts and slow down the process adding additional cost), and hangers if bound together (same theory). This is of course in addition to those items listed elsewhere on the District’s website (paper, plastics. glass, aluminum, steel, cardboard).
Keep an eye on www.hcmud383.com for more information as well as a breakdown of the amount of recycling collected each week.