Beginning in early 2023, Austin Resource Recovery is conducting a pilot program to gather information about on-call brush collection in the City of Austin. This program will be tested in a limited area and will allow the City to gauge the usability and benefits of on-call brush collection as an alternative to the current bi-annual scheduled collection customers receive. 

Residents in the pilot area will still receive the same large brush collection service they always have, but they will choose when their collections take place rather than being given a collection schedule.

Use your on-call brush collection service 

If you received notifications about this service from the City of Austin, your home is within the pilot area. Schedule a maximum of three collections per household, per calendar year for the duration of the pilot. 

Step 1

Download the Austin Recycles app (available for Apple and Android devices) to schedule a collection. (Collections can also be scheduled online.)

Step 2

Set out large brush items by 5:30 a.m. on the first day of the scheduled collection week.


Learn what to set out for collection 

Like your large brush collection service always has, the on-call pilot program will collect these items right from your home: 

  •  Large brush 

  • Logs 

  • Tree trunks 

Items outside of those listed here cannot be collected through this service. Please use the 'What do I do with...' tool to find zero waste disposal options for other items. 

Collection guidelines 

  • Brush should be between 5 and 15 feet in length. 

  • Tree trunks more than 8 inches in diameter should be 3 feet long or less. 

  • Place large brush at the curb in front of your house by 5:30 a.m. on the first day of your scheduled collection week. 

  • Cut ends should face the street. 

  • Stack loosely along the curb in one row, not more than 15 feet across and no higher than 4 feet. 

  • Do not block the sidewalk. 

  • Do not extend into the street. 

  • To prevent damage to your property, keep items 5 feet away from your trash cart, mailbox, fences or walls, water meter, telephone connection box and parked cars. Do not place any items under low-hanging tree limbs or power lines. 

  • Items will not be collected if they are in an alley in any area, or if they are in front of a business or a vacant lot. 

Small branches

Small branches (no longer than five feet and no thicker than three inches in diameter) can be set out with your weekly composting collection. Branches that cannot fit into the green cart with the lid closed should be stacked into manageable bundles no heavier than 30 pounds. 

Brush drop-off 

Austin and Travis County residents can also drop off brush at the Hornsby Bend Biosolids Management Plant