This website, in combination with H-GAC's "Recycle Centers Mapping Tool", www.earth911.com, and the City of Houston's 3-1-1 phone number can provide the information you need to recycle almost any item in the Houston-Galveston region.
Facts
• The average person in our region creates 8 pounds of trash daily.
• That's 8.2 million tons of trash from our region in one year.
• Up to 70% of this trash is buried in landfills.
• Only 1/10 of garbage gets recycled, but over half of it could be.
How long do items take to biodegrade?
| Item |
Years to break down |
| Plastic Bottles |
1 million years |
| Glass |
1 million years |
| Aluminum Cans |
50 - 200 years |
| Batteries |
100 years |
| Paper |
1 - 5 months |
Recycling helps reduce waste
H-GAC has a regional goal to reduce the per capita amount of solid waste by 80% by the year 2012. Through the efforts of cities, counties and schools in our region, we've already seen a significant reduction in the waste stream - from 6.2 to 6.15 pounds per day. That translates into 50,000 tons less in regional landfills.
We are making progress but your help is needed
We are moving in the right direction, but we need more people like you to recycle every day. Recycling is one of the most important actions you can take. |
