Midland, TX Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)

State law supplies the vocabulary Midland's recycling program runs on. 421(5) defines 'recyclable material' as material recovered or diverted from the solid waste stream for reuse, recycling or reclamation that is consistently used in place of raw materials, and clarifies that such material is not regulated as solid waste unless the EPA deems it hazardous. 421(8) defines 'recycling' itself as the process of collecting, separating or processing materials that have served their intended use and returning them to production as raw materials, and (12) separately defines 'yard waste' as leaves, grass clippings, yard and garden debris and brush up to six inches in diameter, excluding stumps, roots or shrubs with intact root balls.

None of that state text creates a local mandate to recycle. 50 recycling surcharge each month, on top of the base solid waste fee. Section 8-6-8(I) restricts that surcharge to three uses: recycling materials, buying capital equipment needed to recycle, and running educational programs about the benefits of recycling. Section 8-6-8(J) lets the City Manager, with City Council approval, disperse those funds, including for wages and benefits, and contract with independent contractors to carry out the program. 50 recycling surcharge under § 8-6-9(E)-(F). There is no separate ordinance in Midland's code compelling a household to place recyclables at the curb or subscribe to a recycling cart; participation, unlike the fee, is not mandatory.