Austin Resource Recovery (ARR), a department of the City of Austin, provides cart-based landfill trash, recycling and composting collection services for some small businesses. Most properties with ARR services are located in residential areas and most businesses choose a private hauler to provide landfill trash, composting or recycling services. ARR does not directly provide dumpster-based services.
The City of Austin requires food-permitted businesses to provide their employees convenient access to diversion options that keep organic material out of the landfill. Organic material can include unused food, food scraps and food-soiled paper. Diversion options can include donating food, feeding animals and/or composting.
The City of Austin requires property owners and business managers of commercial/ mixed use properties to ensure that their employees and commercial tenants have convenient access to landfill diversion services, which can include single-stream recycling, composting and hard-to-recycle materials.
The City of Austin requires multifamily property owners and managers with five or more units to ensure their residents and employees have convenient access to both recycling and composting collection services. Multifamily properties include apartments, condominiums, dormitories, assisted living facilities and nursing homes. These requirements support Austin’s goal of reaching zero waste by 2040.
The City of Austin’s Zero Waste Business Rebate is an incentive for businesses to improve their waste reduction and diversion practices. Eligible businesses can receive up to $3,000 for reducing waste beyond the minimum requirements of the Universal Recycling Ordinance.
Austin Resource Recovery offers a variety of zero waste resources and services to commercial businesses, multifamily communities and food-permitted businesses.