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

Keep these tanglers out of the 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.

Garden hoses

garden hose : keep out of blue recycling cart

 

What do I do with it?

Visit the Austin Reuse Directory to find a local organization that will accept these items for reuse or recycling, or place in your trash cart.

 

Strings of lights and electrical cords

string of lights and extension cord: keep out of clue recycling cart

 

What do I do with it?

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

 

Clothing and textiles

clothing and textiles: keep out of blue recycling cart

 

What do I do with it?

Visit the Austin Reuse Directory to find a local organization that will accept these items for reuse or schedule free clothing and housewares curbside collection.

 

Rope

rope: keep out of blue recycling cart

 

What do I do with it?

Visit the Austin Reuse Directory to find a local organization that will accept these items for reuse.

Place these items in the blue recycling cart

Paper

Image of various paper types

  • Glossy paper
  • Junk mail/envelopes
  • Catalogs/magazines
  • Newspapers
  • Non-foil wrapping paper
 

Boxboard and cardboard

Image of different cardboard types

  • 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
 

Metals

Image of recyclable metals

  • Steel and tin cans
  • Aluminum foil baking pans
  • Aluminum foil (balled 2 inches or larger)

 

 

Glass

Image of glass containers

  • Jars and caps (labels can be left on containers)
  • Bottles and bottle caps (labels can be left on containers)

 

 

Hard plastics 

Image of plastic containers

  • Water/soda bottles
  • Jars/tubs
  • Non-battery toys
  • Buckets/baskets
  • Lawn chairs
 

 

Keep these items out of your blue recycling cart

Image of Styrofoam, clothing, plastic bags, wood and garden hoses
  • Plastic film and bags
  • Styrofoam
  • Water hoses
  • Textiles
  • Wood
  • Medical waste (e.g. syringes and sharp containers)

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 trash, recyclables and compost five feet apart to allow our automated trucks to collect materials safely and efficiently.
  • Do not bag recycling.
  • Did we miss your cart? Call Austin Resource Recovery at 3-1-1 or send us an e-mail within two days of the missed collection. We will come by to pick up the missed 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.

Keep contamination out of your blue cart