Recycle Right El Paso

Curbside Recycling

The City's Curbside Recycling Program offers residents an easy and convenient way to reduce waste and contribute to the preservation of our environment. Recyclables are collected every other week, on your regular garbage collection day. Simply place your blue bin next to your gray bin on the day of your collection. Remember to place your blue and gray bin in the proper direction and leave a five-foot spacing between other objects.

If your recycling bin has not been picked up by 3:00 PM on your collection day, please call (915) 212-6000 for an update.

Type in an item to see if it can be recycled, report a problem, find your collection day, and more with the ESD Recycling Helper!

ESD Recycling Helper

Recycling Tips

Rinse and clean your recyclables, they should not contain any food or product residue.
Do not bag your recyclables, items should remain loose in your blue bin.
E-waste does not belong in the blue bin. Recycle electronic waste or E-waste at a Citizen Collection Station.
Remember the curbside recycling program does not accept glass or plastic bags.

What is recyclable?

Below is a list of the most common items we use and how to recycle them. Recyclables should not contain food residue; please be kind and rinse.
All of these recyclables go into the blue bin and should not be bagged:

For a complete list visit ESD Recycling Helper website.

Paper

Newspaper and advertising inserts (bags and strings removed)
Junk or advertising mail and envelopes
All office paper
Colored or white paper
Paperback and hardback books (all soft, hardcovers should be ripped off)
Magazines, catalogs, and phone books
Wrapping paper (cannot contain foil or glitter)
Paper bags (place 5-6 bags in each bag)
Unused paper cups and plates
Construction paper and postcards
Heavyweight folders
Holiday and birthday cards

Cardboard

Flatten if possible.

Cereal and dry food boxes (without the liner)
Cardboard egg cartons
Flattened cardboard boxes (free of Styrofoam or peanuts)
Tissue boxes
Kitchen or toilet paper rolls
Toothpaste box
Shoe boxes (must be empty)
Gift boxes (free of wrapping paper, ribbon, or tape)
Cracker boxes

Plastic

Don't forget to rinse!

Plastics #1 #2 are accepted (they are labeled on the product)
No film or plastic bags

Aluminum/Tin

Make sure they are free of food or liquid residue.

Soda and any another aluminum cans
Canned food cans and their caps or lids
Clothes hangers (bundled)

Not Recyclable

Bagged recyclables
Textiles
Yard waste
Food and liquids
Glass
Pizza boxes
Plastic bags & Styrofoam
Tanglers such as wires, electronics, hoses

Recycling Challenge

Recyling Challenge Become a BLACK BELT in recycling! Join the Environmental Services Department (ESD) Recycling Challenge. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3.

Register for a virtual Recycling 101 course
Complete the virtual course
Earn EXCLUSIVE ESD Swag as you level up on your journey to becoming a BLACK BELT in recycling.

ESD is challenging the community to help reduce the recycling contamination rate by joining the Recycling Challenge.

The contamination rate for the Curbside Recycling Program is 32 percent, which is higher than the national average of 25 percent. This means nearly one out of every three items dropped in a blue recycling bin doesn't belong there. Help us reduce the contamination level to 23 percent by 2023.

Customers who take the challenge will be provided with the educational resources needed to master their knowledge of recyclables accepted in our program. Participants will earn exclusive promotional items.

Earning a Belt

The recycling challenge features three belts – Yellow, Green and Black. The color-coded rankings system rewards customers along their journey to become better stewards of the environment. Belt colors and how to achieve the next rankings:

Yellow Belt: Register and successfully complete a virtual or in-person course.
Green Belt: Pass an unannounced review of contents inside blue bin.
Black Belt: Pass a second unannounced review of the contents inside blue bin to become a BLACK BELT in RECYCLING.

For questions call (915) 212-6000 or email ESDoutreach@elpasotexas.gov

Join The Challenge Recycling Challenge Video