The free admission in celebration of Texas Recycles Day runs from Nov. 13 to 15
To celebrate Texas Recycles Day, H-E-B is giving Texans free admission to 20 nature centers across the state. From Nov. 13 to 15, each individual visitor should bring one recyclable plastic bottle or single-use plastic bag to one of the centers for free entry.
This effort is one of many that H-E-B supports throughout the year as a part of the retailer’s commitment to maximize recycling efforts throughout its business and the communities it serves.
RECYCLE FOR A
FREE DAY PASS
Bring a plastic bag or bottle per person and explore the natural beauty of Texas at select nature centers.
November 13 - 15, 2026
Participating nature centers and their hours of operation are:
Border:
11/13-14: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
11/15: Closed
11/13-15: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
South Padre Island Birding and Nature Sanctuary
11/13-15: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Central Texas:
11/13-15: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center
11/13-15: 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Wild Basin Creative Research Center
11/13: 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
11/14-15: 7:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
11/13-15: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Gulf Coast:
South Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center
11/13-15: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
11/13-14: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
11/15: Noon – 4 p.m.
Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
11/13-15: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Houston:
11/13-14: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
11/15: Noon – 5 p.m.
Houston Arboretum & Nature Center
11/13/15: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
11/13: 1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
11/14-15: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
11/13-15: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
11/13-15: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
North/ West:
Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge
11/13-15: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
11/13: 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
11/14: Noon – 6 p.m.
11/15: 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
John Bunker Sands Wetland Center
11/12-13: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
11/14: 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife
11/12-13: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
11/14: 1. p.m. – 5 p.m.
San Antonio:
11/13-15: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Additional information is avaliable in the links for each nature center.
H-E-B’s Our Texas, Our Future commitment also extends to the creation of new recycling opportunities throughout the state. H-E-B’s Recycling for Texans program helps fund municipal grants that support the creation and improvement of recycling programs for cities and counties across the state. In 2027, H-E-B will have donated $232,500 to Keep Texas Beautiful to support improving and expanding access to recycling in Bandera, Burleson and Real counties. The funds will not only better local recycling capabilities but will also divert valuable materials away from landfills. Since 2021, H-E-B has invested more than $1.2 million in recycling grants for more than 16 Texas communities that serve nearly 720,000 residents.
This year, the city of Columbus received a $36,000 grant through the Recycling for Texans program which strengthened the city’s recycling facility with new equipment and expanded recycling education and outreach efforts. H-E-B also helped support the opening of Port Arthur’s first-ever drop-off recycling center in August. Through a $109,000 grant in 2025 and an additional investment of $85,000 in 2026, the center provides residents a new and convenient recycling option. Within the center’s first two months of operation, nearly 6,000 pounds of cardboard was collected and diverted from Texas landfills.
“Through Recycling for Texas, we are helping communities develop practical, long-term solutions that increase recycling opportunities and strengthen local infrastructure,” said Leslie Sweet, Managing Director of Sustainability and Environmental Affairs. “Whether it’s expanding the capacity of an existing program or building first-ever community recycling centers, H-E-B is proud to invest in projects that create lasting environmental benefits for Texans.”
As part of H-E-B’s Texas Recycles Day, the retailer also partnered with Austin ISD and San Antonio ISD during the Fall semester to foster recycling practices within local schools. Throughout the semester, district-wide recycling challenges encouraged students to collect recyclable materials and promote the practice across their campus. H-E-B awarded a combined $85,000 to participating schools, each of the top performing schools earned a donation between $1,000 to $10,000. The program resulted in a total of nearly 653,000 pounds of recyclable materials collected with more than 25,600 pounds from Austin ISD’s efforts and approximately 627,000 pounds of material collected by San Antonio ISD students. A special project will also recognize San Antonio ISD’s Bella Cameron Elementary with a revitalization of the school’s playground to enhance outdoor learning spaces and increase native landscaping.
Additionally, H-E-B expanded its Carrying Goodness partnership with Goodwill and food banks to extend the use of surplus reusable bags. The program is now active through Goodwill locations in Central Texas, San Antonio, Houston, and South Texas. Through the collaborative project, when donation-filled or empty reusable bags are dropped off at Goodwill locations in the regions listed above, Goodwill will give the bags to the food bank for use in food distributions. Nearly 85,000 bags have been donated since the program’s launch on Earth Day 2025. Every H-E-B store also has collection bins at the front entrance for customers to use to recycle plastic bags and other eligible plastic items, such as other retail shopping bags, produce bags, bread bags, dry cleaning bags, newspaper bags, and plastic overwrap for items like paper towels. Curbside customers also can bring eligible plastic items to be recycled when they pick up their orders.
This year, H-E-B also presented the second-annual Trash Free Gulf campaign, a program of the Gulf Trust that sponsors litter cleanups in major watersheds along the state’s coastline. This year, more than 1,500 volunteers collected nearly 75,600 pounds of litter across 50 waterway miles.
Last year, H-E-B recycled 671 million pounds of material, including plastics, cardboard and paper. An additional 89.6 million pounds of food was recycled into compost or biofuel. H-E-B’s Hunger Relief program also donated 40.9 million pounds of excess food to feed Texas families. Since 2012, H-E-B has contributed approximately $30 million to over 500 environmental organizations in land and water conservation, habitat and coastal preservation, and community cleanups. To join H-E-B in its mission to reduce contamination in residential recycling, tips and best practices can be found on its Our Texas, Our Future website.
