Residential Recycling Services

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The City of McKinney offers an automated recycling collection system and provides a blue recycling cart. 

E-waste / HHW collections must be requested before 12 p.m. (noon) the business day prior to your collection day. An email confirmation will be sent with the actual collection date, which may be up to two weeks from request.

Service Notice:
Recycling and Yard Waste service delays: Due to operational delays, the city's trash and recycling contractor may take up to two days to pick up your collection. They are working to limit these delays. 

If your carts are out by 7 a.m. on your service day and not collected, leave them out. If they haven't been picked up after two days, call Waste Connections at 469-452-8000.

For example: If your trash and recycling day is Monday and it’s not collected by 7 p.m. on Tuesday, call Waste Connections on Wednesday morning.

We've informed HOAs about the two-day collection window and asked that they extend grace.

Discover More About Provided Services

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Service Guidelines

  • Have your cart(s) set out & ready for collection by 7 a.m. on your collection day. You may place your cart(s) out as early as 6 p.m. the day prior to pick-up.
  • Place cart(s) at least three feet apart from other containers, mailboxes, vehicles, utility meters, poles, fences, etc.
  • The front of the cart showing the serial number should be facing the street.
  • Items should be loose in the cart or placed in brown paper bags.
  • All recycling must be inside the cart with the lid closed. Items outside of the cart or extending outside of the cart will not be collected.
  • Cardboard must be broken down and placed loosely within recycling cart.
  • An overloaded cart will result in non-collection. You can request an additional service for a fee by calling Waste Connections at 469-452-8000.
  • Waste Connections sends out different trucks for each type of pick-up. Pick-up service may not be completed until 7 p.m. and may take up to two days. If they haven't been picked up after two days, call Waste Connections at 469-452-8000.
  • Additional recycling carts may be requested by contacting Water Billing at 972-547-7550. Additional fees apply.

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Acceptable Items for Blue Recycling Cart

The items below are acceptable to place in your blue recycling cart. Items must be loose in the cart or placed in brown paper bags.

  • Aluminum, steel, tin cans
  • Cardboard
  • Cartons
  • Catalogs
  • Glass bottles or jars
  • Junk mail
  • Magazines
  • Newspaper
  • Phone books
  • Plastics 1 - 5, 7

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Unacceptable Items for Blue Recycling Cart

  • Packing peanuts
  • Styrofoam
  • Plastic bags
  • Electronics (E-waste)

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Drop off Recycling

You may drop off any acceptable recycling items noted in the list above at the following location:

Material Recovery Facility (MRF)
2138 Airport Dr. (formerly Country Ln.)
McKinney, TX 75069

469-452-8000

Monday - Friday: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Saturday: 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Site gates are closed and locked when facility is closed to prevent illegal dumping.

Acceptable Items:

  • Glass bottles & jars
  • Plastic bottles & jugs
  • Beverage Cartons (milk)
  • Aluminum cans (soda)
  • Newspapers & magazines
  • Cardboard boxes (flattened)
  • Paperboard boxes (cereal - flattened)
  • Mail & paper
  • Shredded paper in paper bags
  • Food cans

Not accepted:

  • Chemicals*
  • Electronics*

*Use our Household Hazardous Waste and E-waste services to properly dispose of these items.

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Styrofoam Disposal

Expanded Polystyrene (EPS), commonly referred to by its brand name "Styrofoam," is recyclable at:

Environmental Collection Center in Frisco
6616 Walnut St.
Frisco, TX 75033. 

No ID or proof of residency is required. This is a self-service drop-off.

Hours:

  • Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
  • Wednesday: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
  • Saturday: 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.

FAQs

Who can bring EPS for recycling? This drop-off is open to non-Frisco residents, but only in household generated amounts.

Why isn’t EPS recyclable in my blue cart? EPS hasn’t been a successful commodity in single-stream recycling; the product breaks into tiny pieces that aren’t easily recaptured for recycling. Because of this, there are no styrofoam densifiers (the machines that recycle EPS) at the Material Recovery Facility and any styrofoam that goes in the recycle bin ends up being sent to the landfill.

Are there different types of Styrofoam that are or are not recyclable? Yes - and the key is what happens when they squish. If they break into snowflake-like pieces, it’s a recyclable styrofoam and acceptable for Frisco’s drop-off. If it either doesn’t squish or squishes and pops back to its original form, it’s not recyclable and needs to be thrown in your trash. Polystyrene paper, the styrofoam used for food and beverage to-go containers, can be recycled at the Environmental Collection Center in Frisco if rinsed and clean. Meat trays are never accepted.

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Yard Waste

The City of McKinney will pick up yard waste for recycling. Here’s what to do:

  • Limbs must be cut in 4-foot lengths, tied with string or twine (no tape or wire) in bundles of 50 pounds or less.
  • All grass clippings and leaves must be placed in brown paper bags.
  • Place bags and bundles three feet away from your cart on your regular collection day.
  • Limit of 10 bags or 10 bundles or a combination not to exceed 10 items total.

This is an automatic pick-up each week on your trash collection day, with no need to schedule. A separate truck will pick up yard waste. 

Mulch, dirt, concrete, stones or plastic bags will not be collected. For more information, contact Waste Connections at 469-452-8000.

YardWaste

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Compost

Yard waste collected by Waste Connections is taken to the regional composting facility in Plano. 

Purchase Local Compost

A company called Texas Pure provides high-quality compost, topdressing, mulch and soil blend products. Each year, an increasing number of residents, businesses and municipalities take advantage of purchasing Texas Pure products. 

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Electronic Recycling (E-waste)

E-Waste consists of electronic materials that can catch fire, react, explode and are toxic to the environment. E-Waste collection is a service provided to residents for the proper disposal of household electronics and helps reduce the amount of harmful materials in the landfill.

Residential E-Waste Collection Program 

  • This service is limited to customers who live within McKinney city limits and have water billing accounts in good standing. Customers who have city water utilities, but not city trash services, and who live outside the city limits or in the Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction (i.e., Trinity Falls) do not qualify for this service.
  • Commercial waste is not accepted at any time. Please note: Residential rental properties such as apartment complexes are considered commercial and are not eligible for E-Waste collection.
  • The city’s facility is not licensed by the State of Texas as an E-Waste drop-off center. Do not bring chemical waste directly to the facility for disposal.

Acceptable items:

  • Home computers
  • Printers
  • Scanners
  • Keyboards
  • Mice
  • Fax machines
  • Televisions
  • Receivers
  • Projectors
  • DVD / Game Consoles

Submit a Request

  • E-waste collection occurs on your regular trash and recycling collection day.
  • Schedule / request up to 12 pick-ups per calendar year at no additional charge. Limit of one request per week.
  • Requests must be submitted before 12 p.m. (noon) the business day prior to regular trash collection day. Request a collection date from a list of available dates and a confirmation email will be sent with collection information.
  • To schedule a collection, fill out the E-waste pick-up request.
  • A confirmation email will be sent from the City of McKinney within 48-72 hours of request. Please check Junk or Spam folders if you do not see the email in your inbox.
  • If you have any questions, please call 972-547-7385.

How to Prepare Items for Collection

  • Place smaller items in a cardboard box labeled “E-Waste”.
  • Unlabeled containers will not be collected.
  • Unapproved items or excessive amounts will not be collected.

On Collection Date

  • Place “E-Waste” labeled containers at your trash collection point by 7 a.m. on your scheduled appointment date.
  • E-Waste needs to be at least 3 feet from your trash / recycling carts.

Failure to comply with the guidelines will result in non-collection.

Restrictions

  • Limited to 2 boxes, no larger than 20 inches long by 20 inches wide by 20 inches high.
  • 50-pound limit per box. Please do not stack boxes.
  • Limited to one television or one monitor per pick-up. Do not need to be placed in a box and are exempt from weight / size restrictions.
  • Boxes containing E-waste are not returned.

Quantities in excess of these restrictions are considered commercial waste and will not be collected.

Items not generally found in homes may be considered commercial waste and will not be collected.

Direct-to-Manufacturer E-waste Recycling

You can also recycle directly with the manufacturer of your computer or television and related equipment. See the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality website for more information.

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Automotive Fluid Disposal

Automotive fluids including antifreeze and motor oil may be disposed of properly at the facilities below.

Guidelines:

  • Please contact the facility before arriving.
  • All facilities below accept up to 5 gallons of motor oil and oil filters. Not all facilities accept all the same automotive fluids. Please see notes below.
  • Bring a McKinney water bill for identification purposes. Your driver’s license must match your water bill.

Locations and Hours

Custer Road Transfer Station (CTS)
9901 Custer Rd.
Plano, TX 75025
(Entrance on Ridgeview Dr.)
972-727-6341
*Accepts motor oil (up to 5 gallons) and oil filters

Regional Disposal Facility (RDF; Landfill)
Citizens Convenience Center
3820 Sam Rayburn Hwy. (North Hwy. 121)
Melissa, TX 75454
469-626-4452
*Accepts motor oil (up to 5 gallons) and oil filters

El Dorado Chevrolet (Service)
2300 N. Central Expwy.
McKinney, TX 75070
972-569-0101

*Accepts transmission fluid and coolant

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Fats, Oils and Grease

Fats, oils and grease (FOG) found in food ingredients such as meat, cooking oil, shortening, butter, margarine, baked goods, sauces and dairy products can cause sewer lines in homes and streets to back up if it is not disposed of properly. Learn more about what you can do to reduce FOG in your home or business. 

Why Should You Care?

  • Expensive plumbing repairs in your home - Not only are sewer backups unpleasant, they are expensive and unsanitary.
  • Costs to the city - FOG clogs the city’s sewer system. Repairs are costly, accounting for hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, and ultimately are passed to taxpayers.

What You Can Do

  • Let fats, oils and grease cool to room temperature in pots and pans. Pour it in a container and throw the container away in the trash.
  • Before you wash pots and pans, wipe up the fats, oil and grease with a paper towel and toss it into the trash.
  • Small amounts of cooking oil and grease can be placed in the trash. Any amount larger than 1 quart of cooking oil can be scheduled for collection as Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) for recycling. 

Common FOG Products

clog foods

Meat
Cooking oil
Shortening
Butter
Margarine
Baked goods

Sauces
Dairy products
Icing
Salsa
Sour cream
Chicken stock

Batter
Ice cream
Gravy
Dough
Bacon grease

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Christmas Trees

The City of McKinney can compost your live Christmas tree and Waste Connections will pick up at your home. Pick-up service not available for businesses or apartments.

Guidelines

  • Remove lights and ornaments from the tree.
  • Trees with flocking are not compostable.
  • Trees should not be bagged.
  • Place the tree next to your trash cart on your regularly scheduled trash day. If you live in an apartment, see below for locations where you can drop off Christmas trees for recycling.

For questions about Christmas tree recycling, call Waste Connections at 469-452-8000.

*Curbside Christmas tree collection and composting will be provided Dec. 26 - Jan 19.


McKinney provides locations where residents can drop off Christmas trees for recycling. Trees must be clean and free of decorations, lights and flocking. Look for signs at these locations:

*Christmas tree collection and composting will be provided Dec. 26 - Jan 19.

Natural Decorations

Compost your natural poinsettias, pine garland and wreaths by placing them in brown paper bags next to your trash cart on your regularly-scheduled trash day.

  • Remove poinsettia plants from the pot / container and place in brown paper bag.
  • Remove lights and ornaments from wreaths and garlands.
  • Only organic decorative materials accepted.

Trees and other materials are taken to the Regional Composting Facility in Plano and converted into a variety of compost products. See the composting section of this page for more information. For questions, please call the Composting Facility at 972-769-4150.

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