Retailer continues supporting efforts to increase access to recycling
In celebration of Texas Recycles Day, H-E-B is giving Texans free admission to 18 nature centers across the state. Additionally, H-E-B continues to help support recycling facilities in areas with little or no recycling access across the state, an effort that’s part of the retailer’s commitment to maximize recycling efforts throughout its business and the communities it serves.
From November 14-16, H-E-B is sponsoring free admission to select nature centers in exchange for one recyclable plastic bottle or single-use plastic bag. Each person must present either one plastic bag or bottle to redeem free entry.
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 14 - 16, 2025
Participating nature center locations are:
Availability, tour schedules, and additional information are available in the links for each nature center. Last year, H-E-B partnered with 17 nature centers across Texas and collected more than 23,000 pieces of plastic from nearly 11,000 visitors.
Annual celebrations such as Texas Recycles Day are part of the company’s Our Texas, Our Future commitment, H-E-B’s mission is to increase awareness, access, and education around sustainability efforts that help preserve land, water, and air in Texas.
As part of its year-round efforts and in celebration of Texas Recycles Day, H-E-B works with organizations across Texas in ways that provide recycling opportunities and raise awareness. Continuing its community outreach, H-E-B works with Keep Texas Recycling, a program of Keep Texas Beautiful, to help fund municipal recycling grants to cities and counties that need support launching and improving recycling programs. For 2026, H-E-B gifted nearly $400,000 in Community Recycling Grants to support community recycling centers in Port Arthur, Eagle Pass, Del Rio, Columbus, and Carrizo Springs. The grants will support outreach and education initiatives, equipment, and will help re-establish a new recycling center in Laredo, which was damaged in a fire over a year ago. Since 2021, H-E-B has given out nearly $1 million in grants to 15 communities, providing recycling improvements for more than 700,000 residents.
Earlier this year, the retailer sponsored the Trash Free Gulf campaign, which gave Texans an opportunity to participate in 45 litter cleanups in every major watershed and along the coastline to work towards a Trash Free Gulf. During April and May, more than 2,100 volunteers helped to remove nearly 35,000 pounds of trash from Texas waterways.
POWERED BY
Additionally, H-E-B launched a program in partnership with Goodwill Central Texas and the Central Texas Food Bank to repurpose reusable bags, keeping them out of landfills. Donation-filled or empty reusable bags can be dropped off at any Goodwill Central Texas location. Goodwill then gives the bags to the food bank to use in food distributions or to offer free bags to clients. 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.
Contamination remains the number one barrier to effective recycling. In an effort to increase consumer awareness and reduce contamination, H-E-B is part of How2Recycle, a program that places clear, easy-to-read labels on products that let customers know if the packaging can be recycled, which parts are recyclable, and importantly, how to prepare material for recycling. How2Recycle labels are already on more than 4,000 H-E-B brand items such as H-E-B, Hill Country Fare, Central Market, and Mi Tienda.
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.
