Waste Management presents recycling data and $84,000 community-education check to township

Waste Management presented a year-in-review for residential collection in The Woodlands and presented the township with an $84,000 contribution for environmental education projects.

Shanna Lopez, Waste Management senior account executive for the public sector, said drivers make roughly 5 million service touches annually across more than 35,000 homes and highlighted a contamination rate of about 12% and an overall diversion rate near 26% for 2025. "We give back 1% of our annual revenue," Lopez said, announcing last year's $84,000 check that funds programs such as the 'recycle-right' tools, a tennis/ pickleball ball recycling program and tagging to reduce contamination.

Directors asked whether pizza boxes and junk mail can be recycled; Waste Management staff explained local commodity rules that make many of those items acceptable if prepared correctly and encouraged residents not to bag recyclables. Lopez invited board members to tour the Houston material-recovery facility to see processing and said the company will continue outreach in 2026 to raise participation.