Residential Recycling Collection

Austin Resource Recovery provides curbside collection of recycling to single-family households up to four-plexes in Austin. Place mixed paper, hard plastic (no bags), metal and glass directly in your blue recycling cart; no sorting is required!

Keep these items out of your blue recycling cart

Plastic bags, trash bags, plastic film and wrap

Plastic bags and film: keep out of blue cart

What do I do with it?

Some local retailers and stores accept these items for recycling— check our What Do I Do With tool to find a location near you.

Drop these items off at the Recycle and Reuse Drop-off Center to be recycled and disposed of safely.

Styrofoam

Packing peanuts and other items made of Styrofoam shown with a red x through it.

What do I do with it?

Drop these items off at the Recycle & Reuse Drop-off Center to be recycled or disposed of safely.

Batteries

A close up of batteries shown with a big red X through it.

What do I do with it?

Austin Resource Recovery curbside customers can schedule up to three collections of household hazardous waste items including batteries a year from their home. Schedule an appointment to have these items collected.

Drop these items off at the Recycle & Reuse Drop-off Center to be recycled or disposed of safely.

Find a battery recycling location near you.

Electronics

Laptops, cell phones, desktop computers and many other electronics are shown with a red x through it.

What do I do with it?

Austin Resource Recovery curbside customers can schedule up to three collections of bulk items including electronics a year from their home. Schedule an appointment to have these items collected.

Drop these items off at the Recycle & Reuse Drop-off Center to be recycled or disposed of safely.

Other items

Image of Styrofoam, clothing, plastic bags, wood and garden hoses

What do I do with it?

Search for the below items using the What Do I Do With tool for proper recycling and disposal.

Water hoses
Textiles
Clothing and housewares
Wood
Medical waste (e.g. syringes and sharp containers)
Sealed gas containers such as propane and helium tanks
Partially full or full aerosol cans (empty aerosol cans can be recycled)

Put these items in your blue recycling cart

Paper	Glossy paper Junk mail/envelopes Catalogs/magazines Newspapers Non-foil wrapping paper
Hard Plastic (no bags)	Water/soda bottles Jars/tubs Non-battery toys Buckets/baskets Lawn chairs
Metals	Steel and tin cans Aluminum foil baking pans Aluminum foil (balled 2 inches or larger)
Glass	Jars and caps (labels can be left on containers) Bottles and bottle caps (labels can be left on containers)
Glass
Cardboard	(All cardboard boxes should be broken down into roughly 2'x2' squares. Use the lid of your recycling cart as a size guide.) Toilet paper/ paper towel rolls Boxes

Collection guidelines

Place your recycling cart at the curb by 5:30 a.m. on your collection day. (The set-out time has been shifted to an hour earlier to minimize workers' exposure to the extreme summer heat.)
Place carts five feet apart to allow our automated trucks to collect materials safely and efficiently.
Do not block bike lanes or sidewalks. Place carts for collection following proper set-out guidelines.
Do not bag recycling.
Did we miss your cart? Call Austin 3-1-1 or send us an e-mail within two days of the missed collection. We will come by to pick up the material as soon as possible.
Extra recycling is collected at no extra charge. Extra recycling that does not fit into your blue cart with the lid closed should be placed next to your cart in a reusable container or a cardboard box no larger than your cart (use the lid of your recycling cart as a size guide). If you would like to request an additional blue cart, free of charge, call 512-494-9400.
Return trip recycling collection service can be scheduled for a fee of $20.50. Call 3-1-1 or send us an e-mail to schedule.