ARTICLES > SEPTEMBER 23, 2006

September 23, 2006 - Mayor Bill White is taking his message to "GO GREEN Houston" to the streets. Today, Mayor White kicked off the street campaign of the City's new recycling awareness program. He was joined by volunteers who distributed the Go Green Houston door hangers to promote the curbside recycling program and competition.

Mayor White walked the streets of Florinda and Luca, where he stopped to share a word about the importance of the Go Green Houston effort.

"Recycling is the environmentally right thing to do. It saves landfill space, saves tax payer dollars, and helps conserve natural resources. Yet, prior to the launch of the Go Green Houston recycling awareness campaign, neighborhood participation rates averaged 20%," reported Mayor White. To encourage participation a competition has been launched with $5,000 incentives for the most improved paper recycling area, highest overall paper recycling area, most improved commingled area and highest overall commingled area. Neighborhoods that do not meet a minimum participation rate may lose the curbside recycling program in the area.

For more information about the Go Green Houston recycling awareness campaign and competition, please log onto www.gogreenhouston.org or call 311. To volunteer for future door hanger distributions, please call Wanda Adams at 713.591.2556 or Christina Moreno-Conner at 713.726.6059.

Curbside Recycling is provided bi-weekly to 162,000 Houston homes. Materials collected are: aluminum and tin cans, #1 and #2 plastic containers, corrugated cardboard, mail, envelopes, home and office paper, telephone books, newspapers, magazines and used motor oil.

The Curbside Recycling program is Houston's most visible recycling program with its "green bin." However, "Recycling is for everyone" and the city of Houston offers recycling opportunities to all of its residents through area drop-off locations. For a list of locations, log on to www.houstonsolidwaste.org or call 311, the City's Customer Service Hotline.