The Westpark Consumer Recycling Center at 5900 Westpark is a drive-through operated by the City of Houston, and it takes recyclables rather than rubbish or bulky junk. You stay in the car while staff unload.

Opening times run Tuesday to Saturday, eight in the morning until five. Sunday and Monday it does not open. That is a narrower window than several people expect, because older listings elsewhere on the web still show this site running Monday to Saturday. The city's current recycling-centres page gives Tuesday as the first day of the week here.

The paperwork is the easy part. Because this is a recycling-only facility, a current Texas-issued ID is all that is asked for — no utility bill, no lease, no proof that the address on one document matches another. That is a real difference from the city's neighbourhood depositories, where bulk and tree waste require two matching documents.

Houston residents may use the city's drop-off facilities up to four times in a month, and the count is shared across sites rather than reset at each one.

Standing site rules apply: no salvaging or scavenging from the containers, no loitering, and no alcohol or drugs on the property.

Because accepted material at Westpark has shifted over the years — plastic film and carrier bags have come and gone from the list — check the current accepted items with 311 before making a special trip for anything unusual. Everyday paper, cardboard, cans, glass and rigid plastics are the settled core.