How to Start Recycling in Fort Worth

Fort Worth, Texas, is a growing metropolitan city known for its vibrant culture, historic districts, and expanding commitment to sustainability. As urban populations rise and landfills reach capacity, responsible waste management has become more critical than ever. Recycling is one of the most effective ways residents can reduce environmental impact, conserve natural resources, and support local economic initiatives. Starting a recycling routine in Fort Worth may seem overwhelming at first, but with the right knowledge, tools, and mindset, it’s a simple and rewarding transition. This guide provides a comprehensive, step-by-step roadmap to help you begin recycling effectively in Fort Worth—whether you live in a single-family home, apartment complex, or commercial space. By the end of this tutorial, you’ll understand what materials are accepted, how to sort them properly, where to drop them off, and how to make recycling a lasting habit.

Step-by-Step Guide

Understand Fort Worth’s Curbside Recycling Program

The City of Fort Worth operates a curbside recycling program for single-family homes and certain multi-family dwellings. This service is provided free of charge to residents who are enrolled in the city’s waste collection system. To confirm eligibility, check your utility bill or visit the official Fort Worth Solid Waste Management website. If you’re unsure whether your address is covered, enter your street address into the city’s service area lookup tool.

Curbside recycling is collected every other week on your regular trash collection day. The city provides a 95-gallon blue recycling cart, which is separate from your green trash cart. Make sure your cart is placed at the curb by 7 a.m. on collection day with the handle facing your house and at least three feet away from obstacles like mailboxes, trees, or vehicles.

Know What Can and Cannot Be Recycled

Contamination is the biggest challenge facing recycling programs nationwide. When non-recyclable items are mixed in with recyclables, entire loads can be rejected and sent to landfills. Fort Worth accepts the following materials in curbside recycling:

• Paper: Newspapers, magazines, catalogs, junk mail, office paper, and cardboard (flattened).
• Plastics: Bottles and containers labeled

  1 (PET) and #2 (HDPE), including water, soda, milk, detergent, and shampoo bottles. Caps should be replaced on bottles.

• Metals: Aluminum cans, steel/tin food cans, and clean foil trays.
• Glass: Clear, green, and brown glass bottles and jars. No ceramics, mirrors, or window glass.

Items that are not accepted include:

• Plastic bags, wraps, and film (even if labeled “recyclable”)
• Styrofoam
• Disposable coffee cups (plastic lining prevents recycling)
• Soiled food containers (pizza boxes with grease, used paper plates)
• Electronics, batteries, or light bulbs
• Hazardous waste (paint, chemicals, needles)

Always rinse containers to remove food residue. A quick rinse with leftover dishwater is sufficient—no need to use clean running water. Labels and lids are acceptable as long as they’re attached.

Set Up a Home Recycling Station

Creating a dedicated space for recycling in your home makes the process seamless and encourages consistent participation. Choose a convenient location—under the sink, in the garage, or next to your trash can. Use clearly labeled bins or containers for each material type:

• One bin for paper and cardboard
• One for plastics and metals
• One for glass

Consider using color-coded bins or labels with icons to help household members, especially children, identify where each item belongs. Keep a small countertop bin for quick rinsing and temporary storage of items until collection day. Avoid overfilling bins—this can lead to spills and contamination.

Prepare Items for Collection

Proper preparation ensures your recyclables are processed efficiently:

• Flatten cardboard boxes to save space and prevent them from becoming windblown debris.
• Remove non-recyclable components: plastic windows from envelopes, plastic liners from cereal boxes, and wax coatings from some paper cartons.
• Keep glass separate from other materials to reduce breakage and contamination.
• Do not bag recyclables. Place items loose in the blue cart. Plastic bags can jam sorting machinery.
• Ensure all items are dry. Wet materials can mold and attract pests.

On collection day, double-check that your cart is accessible and that no prohibited items are inside. If you accidentally place something non-recyclable in the cart, remove it before collection. The city may leave a tag on your cart explaining what was wrong—use this as a learning opportunity.

Explore Drop-Off Centers for Non-Curbside Items

Not everything you want to recycle can go in your blue cart. Fort Worth offers several drop-off locations for items that require special handling:

• Electronics: The Fort Worth Recycling Center at 2900 N. Westmoreland Road accepts old computers, TVs, printers, and cell phones. No appointment needed.
• Batteries: Many Home Depot and Lowe’s locations in the metro area have battery recycling bins. Also check with the city’s Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) events.
• Textiles: Goodwill and Salvation Army bins accept clean clothing, shoes, and linens. Even stained or torn items can be repurposed.
• Paint: Latex paint can be dried out and thrown in the trash, but oil-based paint must be taken to HHW events. Visit the city’s calendar for upcoming collection dates.
• Plastic Bags: Many grocery stores—including Kroger, Walmart, and Target—have collection bins near the entrance for plastic film recycling.

These drop-off centers are essential for keeping hazardous and non-curbside items out of landfills. Plan a monthly trip to one or two locations to handle these materials responsibly.

Engage Your Community

Recycling is most effective when it becomes a community-wide effort. If you live in an apartment or condo, speak with your property manager about setting up recycling bins in common areas. Many complexes are eligible for city-sponsored recycling programs for multi-family housing—contact the Fort Worth Solid Waste Department to request a consultation.

Start a neighborhood recycling challenge. Encourage neighbors to track their recycling habits and share tips on social media or community boards. Host a “Recycling Day” where residents bring hard-to-recycle items for a centralized drop-off. These efforts build awareness and accountability, making recycling a shared value rather than an individual chore.

Best Practices

Reduce Before You Recycle

While recycling is important, the most sustainable action is to reduce consumption in the first place. Before buying something, ask yourself: Do I really need this? Can I borrow it? Can I buy it used? Choosing reusable alternatives—like cloth bags, metal water bottles, and glass containers—significantly cuts down on waste generation.

When shopping, prioritize products with minimal or recyclable packaging. Avoid single-use items, especially those made from mixed materials that cannot be separated for recycling. Supporting local farmers’ markets and bulk stores reduces packaging waste and strengthens the local economy.

Clean and Sort Thoroughly

Contamination remains the leading cause of recycling failure. Even a small amount of food residue or a plastic bag mixed in with paper can compromise an entire truckload. Always rinse containers. Scrape out leftovers. Remove lids from jars if they’re made of a different material than the container (e.g., metal lids on glass jars should be recycled separately if your program allows).

Sorting at home reduces the burden on municipal sorting facilities and increases the value of recyclables. When materials are cleaner and better sorted, they’re more likely to be purchased by manufacturers for reuse. This creates a stronger market for recycled goods and keeps recycling economically viable.

Stay Updated on Rules

Recycling guidelines change over time due to market demand, technology, and policy. Fort Worth updates its accepted materials list annually. Subscribe to the city’s email newsletter or follow their social media accounts (@FWSolidWaste on Twitter and Facebook) for alerts. Bookmark the official recycling page: fortworthtexas.gov/solid-waste/recycling.

Never assume an item is recyclable just because it has a recycling symbol. The symbol with a number inside (like

1 or #5) indicates the type of plastic, not whether it’s accepted in your local program. Always check your city’s list.

Teach Children and Household Members

Establishing recycling habits early leads to lifelong environmental responsibility. Involve kids in sorting recyclables and explain why it matters. Use games, charts, and rewards to make it fun. For example, create a “Recycling Hero” chart where each family member earns a star for every full cart they help prepare.

Include roommates, partners, or elderly relatives in the process. Provide simple visual guides—print a list of accepted items and tape it to the recycling bin. Clear communication prevents confusion and ensures everyone contributes.

Compost Food Scraps

Food waste makes up nearly 30% of what ends up in landfills. In Fort Worth, residential composting is not yet part of curbside collection, but you can start composting at home. Use a backyard compost bin for fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, eggshells, and yard trimmings. Avoid meat, dairy, and oily foods.

For apartment dwellers, consider a countertop compost bin with a charcoal filter, then drop off finished compost at one of the city’s community garden sites or local farms that accept organic waste. Composting reduces methane emissions and creates nutrient-rich soil for gardening.

Track Your Impact

Keeping a simple log of what you recycle each month helps you stay motivated. Note how many bags of paper, bottles, or cans you set out. Over time, you’ll see your waste reduction in action. Many online calculators can estimate your environmental savings—such as gallons of water saved, trees preserved, or carbon emissions avoided.

For example, recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees and 7,000 gallons of water. Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to power a TV for three hours. Seeing these numbers makes your efforts tangible and meaningful.

Tools and Resources

Official City Resources

The City of Fort Worth provides a wealth of free tools to help residents recycle effectively:

• Recycling Calendar: Enter your address to find your collection schedule and holiday delays.
• Recycling Guide PDF: Downloadable, printable list of accepted items with illustrations.
• Recycling Map: Interactive map showing drop-off locations for electronics, batteries, paint, and more.
• “What Goes Where?” Tool: Search any item to get a clear answer on disposal.

Visit fortworthtexas.gov/solid-waste/recycling for all resources.

Mobile Apps

Several apps make recycling easier by providing instant guidance:

• Recycle Coach: Offers personalized collection reminders, sorting guides, and alerts for weather delays. Available for iOS and Android. Fort Worth is a partner city.
• iRecycle: By the Recycling Partnership, this app helps locate drop-off centers nationwide and includes educational content.
• Earth911: Search for recycling locations for over 10,000 materials, including rare items like ink cartridges and athletic shoes.

Download Recycle Coach and sync it with your Fort Worth address for automated reminders and accurate guidelines.

Local Organizations and Programs

Several nonprofits and community groups in Fort Worth support recycling efforts:

• Fort Worth Environmental Management: Offers free workshops on composting, zero-waste living, and sustainable consumption.
• Keep Fort Worth Beautiful: Organizes monthly cleanups, school education programs, and recycling drives. Volunteers are always welcome.
• Texas Campaign for the Environment: Advocates for stronger recycling policies and hosts annual recycling challenges.

Joining one of these groups connects you with like-minded individuals and gives you access to exclusive events, free bins, and educational materials.

Free Recycling Kits

Residents can request a free recycling starter kit from the city, which includes a countertop bin, a guidebook, and stickers to label your bins. Visit the Solid Waste Management office at 2900 N. Westmoreland Road or call their info line to request one. Kits are also distributed during community events like Earth Day and Fort Worth Sustainability Week.

Local Retailers with Recycling Programs

Many local businesses in Fort Worth offer recycling services to customers:

• Whole Foods Market: Recycles plastic bags, film, and batteries.
• Best Buy: Accepts electronics, including TVs, laptops, and cables.
• Home Depot: Recycles CFL bulbs, rechargeable batteries, and plastic plant pots.
• Target: Offers bag and battery recycling, plus a recycling bin for ink cartridges.

Make it a habit to drop off these items during your regular shopping trips. It’s a simple way to recycle without an extra stop.

Real Examples

Case Study: The Martinez Family, North Fort Worth

The Martinez family of four began recycling in 2022 after their youngest child brought home a school project about waste reduction. They started small: one bin for paper, one for plastics. Within two months, they reduced their trash output by 40%. They began composting kitchen scraps in a backyard tumbler and used the compost in their vegetable garden.

They also started bringing reusable bags to the grocery store and buying in bulk at local co-ops. By 2023, they were sending only one small trash bag to the curb each week. Their utility bill dropped slightly due to reduced waste volume, and their children proudly track their recycling milestones on a chart in the kitchen.

“We didn’t realize how much we were throwing away,” says Maria Martinez. “Now it’s just part of our routine—like brushing our teeth.”

Case Study: The Oak Cliff Apartments, South Fort Worth

When property manager James Rivera took over the 120-unit Oak Cliff Apartments, he noticed overflowing trash bins and a lack of recycling participation. He contacted the city’s Multi-Family Recycling Program and received free recycling bins for each floor. He also hired a student intern to create posters in Spanish and English explaining what could be recycled.

Within six months, recycling participation jumped from 12% to 68%. The complex reduced its trash collection frequency from twice a week to once a week, saving the owner over $12,000 annually in disposal fees. The building now features a “Green Resident of the Month” award with a $25 gift card to a local farmers’ market.

“It’s not just about the environment,” says Rivera. “It’s about saving money and making residents proud of where they live.”

Case Study: Fort Worth Central Library Recycling Drive

In 2023, the Fort Worth Central Library partnered with local schools and nonprofits to host a month-long recycling drive. Residents were invited to drop off electronics, textiles, and hard-to-recycle items. Over 5,000 pounds of materials were collected, including 1,200 pounds of e-waste and 800 pounds of clothing.

Library staff provided educational stations where visitors learned how to properly dispose of items and received free reusable tote bags. The event generated media coverage and inspired similar drives at other city libraries.

“Libraries are community hubs,” says librarian Elena Torres. “We’re not just about books—we’re about building a better future.”

Case Study: A Local Restaurant’s Zero-Waste Initiative

“The Green Spoon,” a farm-to-table restaurant in the Cultural District, eliminated single-use packaging entirely in 2022. They switched to compostable containers made from sugarcane fiber, provided reusable utensils for dine-in guests, and partnered with a local compost hauler to collect food scraps daily.

They also installed a water filtration system to eliminate bottled water sales and began donating unsold food to local shelters. Their waste reduction efforts saved them $8,000 in disposal fees in the first year and attracted media attention and loyal customers.

“Sustainability isn’t a trend—it’s the future of hospitality,” says owner Carlos Mendez.

FAQs

Can I recycle pizza boxes in Fort Worth?

Only if they are clean. Grease and food residue contaminate paper recycling. If the bottom of the box is soaked in grease, tear off the clean top and recycle that portion. The greasy part should go in the trash or compost if you have access to composting.

What if I miss my recycling collection day?

If your cart is not collected due to an error (e.g., it was blocked or contained contamination), the city will leave a notice. You can either remove the non-compliant items and set the cart out again the next week, or wait for your next scheduled collection. There are no make-up pickups for missed days.

Do I need to remove labels from jars and bottles?

No. Labels and adhesives are removed during the recycling process. Just make sure the container is rinsed and empty.

Can I recycle Styrofoam in Fort Worth?

No. Styrofoam (polystyrene foam) is not accepted in curbside recycling or at city drop-off centers. It’s lightweight, difficult to process, and rarely recycled economically. Avoid purchasing items packaged in Styrofoam when possible.

Where can I recycle old batteries?

Many hardware stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s have free battery recycling bins. You can also bring them to the Fort Worth Recycling Center during regular hours or at scheduled Household Hazardous Waste events.

Is glass recycling still available in Fort Worth?

Yes. Glass is still accepted in curbside recycling. However, it must be clean and sorted by color (clear, green, brown). Broken glass should be wrapped in paper and labeled before disposal in the trash.

Can I recycle plastic containers that held chemicals?

No. Containers that held paint, pesticides, motor oil, or other hazardous substances should be taken to a Household Hazardous Waste event. Never rinse these in your sink or put them in the recycling cart.

What happens to my recyclables after they’re collected?

Recyclables are transported to a materials recovery facility (MRF) in the region, where they are sorted by type using conveyor belts, magnets, and optical scanners. Clean materials are baled and sold to manufacturers who turn them into new products—like cardboard boxes from recycled paper, or fleece jackets from recycled plastic bottles.

Are there penalties for putting non-recyclables in the blue cart?

There are no fines, but contamination can cause your entire load to be rejected. Repeated contamination may result in a warning notice or temporary suspension of recycling service until you correct the issue.

Can I recycle old books and magazines?

Yes. Paperback books, magazines, catalogs, and newspapers are all accepted in curbside recycling. If they are wet or damaged, they can still be taken to a paper recycling drop-off location.

Conclusion

Starting to recycle in Fort Worth is not just about following rules—it’s about joining a community that values sustainability, resource conservation, and long-term environmental health. The process is straightforward: know what’s accepted, prepare items correctly, use the right tools, and make recycling a natural part of your routine. Whether you live in a high-rise apartment or a suburban home, your actions matter.

Recycling reduces landfill pressure, lowers greenhouse gas emissions, conserves energy, and supports local jobs in the recycling and manufacturing industries. Every bottle, can, and cardboard box you recycle contributes to a cleaner, greener Fort Worth.

Don’t wait for perfection. Start small. Rinse one container. Sort one bin. Attend one drop-off event. Talk to a neighbor. Over time, these small steps compound into powerful change. Fort Worth’s future depends on the choices we make today—and you have the power to make them wisely.

Visit fortworthtexas.gov/solid-waste/recycling to download your free guide, find your collection day, and explore local recycling events. Together, we can turn waste into opportunity.