TV and e-waste disposal in Houston, Texas

Rules

Curbside allowed

No

Appointment required

Not published by the city

Limits

Curbside collection is not offered for a television. The heavy trash page limits that service to occupied residential units receiving City of Houston services and says collection is not available to multi-residential structures with more than eight units. That page also says electronics are not accepted, so the unit cap is a heavy-trash rule, not a published television drop-off cap. The electronics page's accepted list says "TVs (CRT TV's up to 36")" and its non-acceptable list says "CRT TVs larger than 36". The ESC page says "A total of 5 large electronic items combined per visit. (5 PCs (+) 2 TVs 30" limit.)" The Recycling Centers page lists "Electronics - computers, TVs, household electronics" and does not state a size or a count. The Clear Lake flyer linked from the electronics page says CRT TVs up to 27 inches and flat screens up to 50 inches. A separate Kingwood PDF hosted by the city, kingwoodewaste1.pdf, says CRT TVs up to 27 inches and a 5-item limit. The Kingwood flyer the electronics page actually links says the document is no longer available.

Preparation

• Electronics & Recycling page: electronics should not be placed at the curb with garbage or heavy trash.
• Heavy trash page: do not set out electronic scrap for heavy trash. Take these items to an Environmental Service Center. The same page lists electronics under Not Accepted.
• Electronics Donation & Recycling page, still published: household hazardous waste or residential electronic scrap should not be placed on the curb or in the automated container for garbage collection or heavy trash pickup.
• Environmental Service Centers page and Recycling Centers page, same proof-of-address block: to drop off bulk waste or tree waste, show a current Texas-issued ID (driver's license, DPS ID, LTC, or consulate ID) and a current City of Houston utility bill or lease agreement, and the addresses must match. A resident whose primary home is outside Texas needs a current property tax bill, and the name must match the ID. For recycling only, a current Texas-issued ID is sufficient. Neither page says which of those proof rules applies to a television.
• Recycling Centers page: residents may use the facilities up to four times per month, once per week. To ensure service, arrive 30 minutes before closing and no later than 15 minutes before closing.
• Clear Lake flyer linked from the electronics page: residents will be required to wear a mask or face covering when talking to staff on site, and are encouraged to place items for drop-off in the trunk for contactless unloading. That language is what the linked flyer still says.

How to schedule

1. Do not set the television out with garbage or heavy trash. The electronics page says electronics should not be placed at the curb with garbage or heavy trash. The heavy trash page says not to set out electronic scrap, lists electronics as not accepted, and says to take those items to an Environmental Service Center. It also says that if authorized and unauthorized items are mixed, the entire pile may be refused.
2. Do not take it to a Residential Drop-Off Center. That page's non-accepted list includes a line that reads "TVs." Its acceptable bulk list names mattresses, furniture, and household appliances, and does not name televisions.
3. For a city drop-off, use Westpark or either Environmental Service Center and follow the limit printed for that site. Those limits disagree: the electronics page accepts CRT TVs up to 36 inches and does not accept CRT TVs larger than 36 inches; the ESC page caps a visit at 5 large electronic items combined and prints "(5 PCs (+) 2 TVs 30" limit.)"; the recycling centers page lists TVs and does not print a size.
4. Kingwood and Clear Lake are also named for electronics. The electronics page schedules a Saturday event at each one. The recycling centers page lists regular hours and lists TVs among accepted materials. Read the site notes before you go, because the Clear Lake flyer linked from the electronics page uses a 27-inch CRT and 50-inch flat-screen limit.
5. Or use the manufacturer program the city links. On the Texas Recycles TVs page, find the brand, follow that manufacturer's instructions, and contact the manufacturer if an option is not listed. TCEQ says it does not provide the recycling service. If the brand is missing or a link does not work, the page says to email recycle@tceq.texas.gov.

Phone, app, or portal

• Electronics and recycling page: https://houstontx.gov/solidwaste/ewaste.html
• Environmental Service Centers: https://houstontx.gov/solidwaste/esc.html
• Recycling centers: https://www.houstontx.gov/solidwaste/recycling_centers.html
• Texas Recycles TVs: https://www.tceq.texas.gov/p2/recycle/electronics/tv_recycling.html
• TCEQ questions: recycle@tceq.texas.gov or 512-239-3143. The manufacturer-guidance page gives both for questions about the television recycling program.
• Phone printed on the Electronics Donation and Recycling page: 1-855-TV-Recycle, next to the Texas Recycles TVs link. That same page prints 512-239-3143 on the computer-recycling line, not the TV line.
• Department email on the Electronics Donation and Recycling page: SWDworks@houstontx.gov

Fees

Curbside

Not published by the city

Notes

The Electronics & Recycling page says Westpark accepts residential electronics at no additional charge, and the manufacturer section is headed "MANUFACTURER TAKE-BACK PROGRAMS (FREE)." The Environmental Service Centers page does not publish a dollar fee for a television. The Electronics Donation & Recycling page says Westpark accepts recyclables at no additional charge to City of Houston residents, and it says the same "no additional charge" sentence again after describing the ESC drop-off. That page also says many manufacturer programs offer mail-back at no cost, that most provide a free shipping label, and that this cost is covered by the manufacturer per state law. TCEQ's manufacturer guidance says a compliant program's internet link must include collection methods that allow a consumer to recycle covered television equipment without paying a separate fee at the time of recycling. The Texas Recycles TVs page does not list a dollar fee and says TCEQ does not provide recycling services.

Drop-off locations

The electronics page, the ESC page, and the recycling centers page all describe television drop-off, and they do not use the same size limit. Sites below are the ones those pages connect to televisions: Westpark, ESC South, ESC North, Clear Lake/Ellington, and Kingwood. Residential drop-off centers are omitted because their own page lists TVs as not accepted. The address in each card is the address on the current facility page. The recycling facilities map prints a different Westpark ZIP, a different ESC South street name, and a different Clear Lake address; those versions are in the site notes. A phone is left unpublished when the current facility page does not print one.

What's not accepted

• Electronics set out at the curb with garbage or heavy trash. The electronics page says not to place them there.
• Electronic scrap set out for heavy trash. The heavy trash page lists electronics under Not Accepted and says to take them to an Environmental Service Center.
• A heavy-trash pile that mixes items the city will collect with items it will not. The heavy trash page says the entire pile may be refused.
• TVs at a Residential Drop-Off Center. The non-accepted list on that page includes TVs.
• CRT TVs larger than 36 inches, on the Electronics & Recycling page's non-acceptable list. The ESC page, the Clear Lake flyer, and kingwoodewaste1.pdf print different size lines, which are quoted in the limits and at the sites.
• Heavy trash and garbage at the recycling centers. The Recycling Centers page says those are not accepted there and points heavy trash to residential drop-off or the junk-waste schedule.

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