Houston Trash and Recycling Guide: Schedules, Blue Cart, and HHW

Houston's Solid Waste Management Department (SWMD) collects household trash once a week and recycling every other week at most addresses inside city limits. To find your specific collection day, go to houstontx.gov/solidwaste, enter your address, and save the schedule — it's the only reliable source. This guide covers everything after that: what the blue cart accepts, how bulk trash works, and where to take items your cart can't handle.

If you're getting settled, our moving to Houston guide has the full setup checklist for water, electricity, and all city services.

How to find your collection schedule

Go to houstontx.gov/solidwaste and use the address search. You'll see your trash day, your recycling week (Week A or Week B — alternating biweekly), and your next bulk trash date. No internet? Call 311. The Houston 311 app also lets you look up your schedule and submit service requests from your phone.

Curbside trash

Trash is collected once a week. Set your gray 96-gallon cart at the curb by 7:00 a.m. on your scheduled day. Place it within 3 feet of the curb, lid closed, wheels facing the house — not blocking the sidewalk or a parked car. Items that don't fit inside the cart stay behind; extra bags set alongside it won't be picked up.

Missed? Submit a request through 311 by end of day. The city typically returns within one business day for confirmed misses.

New to your address and no cart? Call 311 to request delivery. One 96-gallon cart is included at no extra charge. Extra carts are available for a monthly fee.

Blue cart recycling: what's in, what's out

Recycling runs every other week on the same day as trash, alternating Week A and Week B. Look up your week at houstontx.gov/solidwaste.

Accepted in the blue cart:

• Aluminum and steel cans (rinsed)
• Glass bottles and jars (rinsed, lids removed)
• Cardboard and paperboard (flattened, no food residue)
• Newspaper, mixed paper, magazines, mail
• Plastic containers #1 through #5 and #7 (rinsed and drained) — bottles, jugs, tubs, and rigid containers
• Cartons (milk, juice, soup — gable-top and shelf-stable, rinsed)

Not accepted:

• Plastic bags or film plastic of any kind
• Styrofoam (expanded polystyrene)
• Food or food-soiled paper
• Electronics, batteries, or motor oil
• Propane tanks or pressurized aerosol cans
• Clothing, textiles, or garden hoses

The one rule that matters most: Plastic bags ruin entire loads. When a plastic bag gets into Houston's recycling stream, it wraps around sorting machinery and can cause an entire truckload — recyclables from 100 or more households — to be diverted to the landfill instead. The fix is simple: take film plastic (grocery bags, produce bags, bread bags, zip-lock bags) to the collection bin inside any H-E-B or Kroger. Most stores keep it near the entrance. Never put plastic bags in the blue cart.

Bulk trash

Houston collects bulk trash every other month on even-numbered months — February, April, June, August, October, and December — giving most addresses up to six collections per year. Your schedule appears in the address lookup on the SWMD site. You can also call 311 to confirm.

Rules for curbside bulk collection:

• Place items at the curb by 7:00 a.m. on your scheduled day
• Items must be within 3 feet of the curb
• Maximum of 8 cubic yards per collection (about the size of a minivan)
• Tree limbs must be cut to no longer than 10 feet, with individual pieces no greater than 8 inches in diameter
• No loose debris — bundle or bag yard waste separately

Not collected as bulk trash: tires, automotive batteries, appliances containing refrigerant (refrigerators, window ACs, dehumidifiers — call 311 for a separate appliance pickup), construction debris, concrete, dirt, hazardous materials, or commercial waste.

Appliances without refrigerant — stoves, dryers, washing machines, water heaters — are accepted curbside with bulk collection.

Yard waste and brush

Green waste — grass clippings, leaves, shrub trimmings — is collected on your regular trash day. Use certified compostable bags (ASTM D6400 standard) or tie bundles with twine. Standard plastic bags are not accepted for yard waste. Loose piles are not automatically picked up — if you have large volumes after a storm or a big trim job, submit a brush collection request through 311.

Where to drop off hazardous household waste

These items can never go in any cart: motor oil, paint, pesticides, pool chemicals, propane tanks, fluorescent bulbs, batteries, and electronics. The City of Houston runs free drop-off centers for Houston and Harris County residents.

Westpark Center

5900 Westpark Drive, Houston, TX 77057 — near Westheimer at the West Loop, south side

Free for Houston and Harris County residents. Accepted: motor oil (up to 25 quarts per visit), latex and oil-based paint, pesticides, herbicides, pool chemicals, propane tanks, fluorescent light bulbs, car and household batteries, and electronics (computers, TVs, phones, printers, cables). Typically open Tuesday through Saturday — check houstontx.gov/solidwaste for current hours before you go.

Insider tip: Motor oil recycling is free and requires no appointment. If you change your own oil at home, pour it into a sealed container and bring it to Westpark. The Westpark center also accepts paint with no quantity limit beyond the liquid requirement — dried paint can go in the regular trash.

The City also operates additional recycling center locations across Houston. Check houstontx.gov/solidwaste for current addresses and hours before visiting.

Electronics recycling

Electronics are never accepted in the blue cart or the gray trash cart. Options in Houston:

• Westpark Center (free, no appointment): TVs, computers, monitors, phones, printers, cables — all accepted
• Best Buy recycling kiosks: most Houston-area locations accept small electronics and cables at no charge; check the specific store page for large-item fees
• Goodwill drop-off: working devices only; check the Goodwill site for the nearest Houston location

Composting

As of October 2026, Houston does not offer curbside food composting. The City holds free mulch and compost giveaway events throughout the year at various sites — check the event calendar at houstontx.gov/solidwaste. Private residential composting pickup services also operate in Houston; availability and pricing change, so search for current operators.

Backyard composting is legal throughout the city. Houston's warm climate makes it one of the easier places in the country to compost year-round, and the SWMD publishes a free guide on its site.

Apartment and multi-family residents

Apartment buildings are typically served by private waste haulers contracted by property management, not by SWMD curbside service. Your property manager sets the trash, recycling, and bulk disposal options for the building. The City's HHW drop-off sites at Westpark and the northeast center are open to all Houston and Harris County residents regardless of housing type. Our Houston apartments guide covers what to look for when choosing a building.

Outside Houston city limits

Residents of Katy, Pearland, Sugar Land, The Woodlands, and other municipalities use their own city or Municipal Utility District (MUD) services, not SWMD. Check your city or MUD website for your specific schedule and provider. Our cost of living in Houston guide breaks down typical utility costs by area, and the electricity and utilities guide covers water, gas, and electric setup.

Save this: blue cart quick reference

Yes — put it in:

• Aluminum and steel cans (rinsed)
• Glass bottles and jars (rinsed)
• Cardboard (flattened)
• Paper, newspaper, magazines
• Plastic containers #1–5 and #7 (bottles, jugs, tubs, rigid containers — rinsed)
• Cartons (milk, juice, soup — rinsed)

No — keep it out:

• Plastic bags of any kind (take to grocery store bin instead)
• Styrofoam
• Food-soiled paper
• Electronics, batteries, motor oil
• Anything still liquid

Quick test: if it's a bottle, can, carton, rigid tub, or flat paper product — rinsed clean — it probably goes in. If it's a plastic bag, film, foam piece, or large plastic item, it stays out.

Last verified: October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find my trash collection day in Houston?

Use the address search at houstontx.gov/solidwaste — enter your street address and your trash day, recycling week (A or B), and next bulk date all appear on one page. You can also call 311.

How often is recycling picked up in Houston?

Houston's curbside recycling runs every other week on the same day as trash. Your address is assigned to either Week A or Week B. Check houstontx.gov/solidwaste to see which week you're on.

Can I put plastic bags in Houston's recycling bin?

No. Plastic bags jam sorting equipment and can send an entire truckload of recyclables to the landfill. Take film plastic — grocery bags, produce bags, bread bags — to the drop-off bins near the entrance at most H-E-B or Kroger stores.

How does bulk trash pickup work in Houston?

Houston collects bulk trash every other month on even-numbered months (February, April, June, August, October, December) — up to six times per year. Look up your schedule at houstontx.gov/solidwaste or call 311. Set items curbside by 7:00 a.m. on your scheduled day, within 3 feet of the curb, up to 8 cubic yards.

Where can I drop off paint and motor oil in Houston?

The Westpark Center at 5900 Westpark Drive (near Westheimer at the West Loop) accepts paint, motor oil (up to 25 quarts per visit), pesticides, batteries, and electronics for free. Typically open Tuesday through Saturday — confirm hours at houstontx.gov/solidwaste before going.

Does Houston pick up electronics curbside?

No. Electronics are never accepted in Houston's gray or blue carts. Drop them off at the Westpark Center (free, no appointment), Best Buy recycling kiosks (small items typically free), or donate working devices to a local Goodwill.