ARTICLES > APRIL 17, 2007

April 17, 2007 - Houston Mayor Bill White and City Council announced the four winners of the Go Green Houston Recycling Program to promote Houston's vision of "Making Houston a Model Environmental City". In June 2006, Mayor Bill White announced the Go Green Competition to promote his environmental plan and vision to increase recycling initiatives in the areas of participation and tonnage for the neighborhoods that received curbside recycling services.

The four Go Green Houston winners are:

1. The most improved paper recycling area: subdivision with the greatest improvement in paper weight between the baseline score and the final score - Braesmont
2. The overall highest paper scoring area: neighborhood with the highest paper weight at the conclusion of the competition - Meyerland
3. The most improved commingled area: neighborhood with the greatest improvement in commingled weight (plastics & cans) between the baseline and the final score - Ashford Hollow
4. The highest overall commingled (plastics & cans) area: neighborhood with the highest commingled weight at the conclusion of the competition - Shepherd Park Plaza

Each winner will receive $5,000 towards a neighborhood project in their community.

"We applaud Houston's neighborhoods and I am confident that the commitment will continue throughout our great city," said Mayor Bill White. "This competition aims to increase the public's awareness of the importance of recycling."

"Although the competition has ended," said Thomas Buchanan, Director of the Solid Waste Department, "We are still encouraging Houstonians to continue recycling by participating in the curbside program or by utilizing the drop off sites throughout the city".

The curbside recycling program began as a pilot program in 23 neighborhoods in 1990 and has grown to 162,000 homes in more than 260 neighborhoods .

Earth Day is celebrated on April 22nd ; however the City of Houston encourages everyone to make recycling and environmental conservation a daily practice to save landfill space, tax dollars and valuable natural resources . For more information about recycling, call 3-1-1, the City's Customer Service Hotline or log on to www.gogreenhouston.org or www.houstonsolidwaste.org.