The Stella Roberts Recycling Center at 5800 Magnolia Parkway is one of the most comprehensive drop-off facilities in the Houston area, and it is worth knowing up front that it is not run by the City of Pearland. It is operated by Keep Pearland Beautiful, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, and serves more than thirty cities across four counties.

Most categories cost nothing: cardboard, paper, plastics #1-5 and 7, glass, metals, wires and cables, cooking oils and fats, computers, cellphones and tablets are all free, and several are open to businesses as well as households. The charges are concentrated on the difficult materials. Refrigerated appliances are $15 if the refrigerant has not been drained and tagged by a licensed technician, or $10 if the doors are still attached. Flat-panel TVs are $5 each and CRT or projection televisions $15, though both are free for Brazoria County and City of Pearland residents with valid identification. Automotive fluids are a $5 flat fee for up to ten gallons per fluid, free for residents of Pearland, Manvel and Brookside Village. Alkaline batteries are $5.00 a pound. Fire extinguishers are $5 and fluorescent tubes $5 plus 50 cents per additional tube.

Household hazardous waste — paint, cleaners, lawn and pool chemicals, solvents, adhesives and brake fluid — is charged at $1.68 per pound with a 150lb limit, and is exempt for Brazoria County residents, City of Pearland utility customers and Dickinson WCID #1 payers. Mercury carries a flat $75 for up to two fluid ounces. Crucially, HHW is only accepted on Fridays 9am to 3pm and Saturdays 9am to 1pm.

Three site rules matter before you set off. Materials must be sorted before you arrive. You must stay in your vehicle throughout — attendants unload for you. And anything delivered in a plastic bag must be in a clear or translucent one; opaque bags are refused outright for staff safety.

General recycling hours are Tuesday to Friday 9am to 3pm and Saturday 9am to 1pm, closed Sunday and Monday. Propane tanks are not accepted at all.