Huntsville's site at 590 Interstate 45 North is really two facilities sharing an entrance, and knowing which one you need decides whether you pay. The Recycling Drop Off Center is free to the public - and unusually, that includes people who live outside the city limits, which most Texas municipal drop-offs do not. The Transfer Station next to it is where charged disposal happens.

The free list is long: plastics #1 to #7, cardboard, mixed paper and fibreboard, cans, scrap metal, glass in clear, green and brown, motor oil and filters, antifreeze, cooking oil, tyres, electronics, rechargeable batteries, cell phones, fluorescent bulbs and tubes, yard waste and building materials. Metal goes to a separate area and is routed to local recycling vendors rather than the landfill - appliances, BBQ pits, tin roofing, tyre rims and water heaters all belong there.

If you need the Transfer Station instead, the fee schedule effective 1 October 2025 sets a $15.00 minimum inside the city limits and $20.00 outside. Tyres are priced separately: small $4.54 and large $20.43 inside the city, $5.68 and $24.40 outside. It takes cash, local cheques and credit cards. Waste from the Transfer Station is hauled to the Security Landfill in Montgomery County rather than buried locally.

Three operational rules will stop you at the gate. Closed-toe shoes are mandatory to enter the Transfer Station. Every load must be secured against spillage, and the city warns that offenders may be reported to law enforcement rather than simply fined. And the last load is accepted at 4.45pm even though the site runs to 5pm - arrive with time to unload, not time to queue. There is also a TIPS Warehouse on site holding donated construction material, free to low-income families and non-profits doing home repairs, which is worth knowing before you throw usable doors, windows or lumber away.