Downtown Austin Recycling, Trash and Litter-control Services
To reduce truck traffic downtown and help Austin achieve its zero waste goals, Austin Resource Recovery manages a commercial trash and recycling contract for businesses located in the Downtown Austin Recycling and Trash Service District.
Every night, Austin Resource Recovery sweeps and cleans designated streets and alleys in the Downtown Recycling and Trash Service District and collects trash from receptacles along 6th Street and Congress Avenue.
Austin Resource Recovery also manages a commercial trash and recycling dumpster contract, required by Austin City Council Ordinance 20051020-063, for businesses located in the Downtown Austin Recycling and Trash Service District.
Single-stream recycling
Businesses and residents in this service district have access to convenient single-stream recycling dumpsters in their alleys. These customers can place all of the following materials in any alley recycling dumpster, with no sorting required:
- Flattened cardboard
- Mixed paper, including mail, newspapers, magazines and phone books
- Aluminum, tin and steel cans
- Hard plastic containers #1-7
Follow these steps to prepare materials for recycling
- Flatten boxes
- Drain bottles, jars, cans and other containers
- Rinse off food residue
- Do not put recyclables in plastic bags
These items are considered trash; keep them out of the single-stream recycling dumpsters:
- Food and food-soiled paper
- Plastic bags
- Plastic film and wrap
- Paper cups, plates and napkins
- Styrofoam
- Waxed produce boxes
- Paper towels or tissues
- Shredded paper
- Straws
Recycling resources for the Downtown Trash and Recycling District
- Cardboard recycling poster in English and Spanish
- Print single-stream recycling posters in English and Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin or Vietnamese
Monthly rate for commercial properties
- Base rate: $31.50
- Volume charge for trash service: $23.25 per cubic yard
- Clean Community Fee (all businesses pay this fee): Visit the commercial collection services page for the current rate.
- There is no additional fee for recycling service
Monthly rates for residential properties
- Base rate: $31.50
- Trash service fee: $20.00 per resident
- Clean Community Fee (all residential customers pay this fee): Visit the residential rates and fees page for the current rate.
- There is no additional fee for recycling service.