Starting in January 2026, Brownsville homeowners will be required to have a recycling bin at their home.

“Every household will be provided a cart for recycling, and they will pay a monthly fee whether they use that cart or not,” Brownsville Deputy City Manager Alan Guard said.

The initiative was approved by city commissioners during an August meeting.

Guard said the purpose is to not only rid the city of litter, but to also extend the life of the city's landfill.

“It’s the environmentally right thing to do, the city operates a landfill and that landfill only has so much life to it,” Guard said. “The longer we can get that landfill to last, the better for the community."

The city does not have its own recycling center. It’s why they're contracting with Redfish Recycling in the effort. The seven-year contract is worth around $4 million.

Homeowners will pay a monthly service fee of around $5 that will be added to their utilities bill. Channel 5 News was told money made from those fees will go toward paying for recycling costs — including vehicles and drivers.

Some residents said any added cost for them is too much. Others said they support the environmental effort but worry the fee may negatively impact low income households.

The city said the initiative is actually cost-saving.

“We have over 14,000 residents who have two garbage bins right now, they pay over $30 a month,” Guard said. “If they start recycling and they get rid of one of their garbage bins and substitute for a recycling cart, their monthly costs will drop by $5."

The city plans to hold meetings to educate residents on the initiative starting in October 2025.

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