Austin Resource Recovery expands waste collection services

Austin Resource Recovery in Austin, Texas, is expanding its waste collection services and reuse programs, Austin Monitor reports.

The waste and recycling department of the city of Austin continues to enhance its core curbside programs of weekly trash and compost collection and biweekly recycling for the more than 220,000 households it serves, says Ron Romero, assistant director of Austin Resource Recovery.

A recent upgrade to the brush, bulky item and hazardous waste pickup program implemented an on-demand system allowing residents to schedule pickups up to three times a year. Previously, the pickup program operated on a six-month rotation.

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“We started this in January and it has been a very popular change in the program,” Romero says. “We’ve seen an uptick in use and we have seen cleaner neighborhoods. We’ve seen neighborhoods and block leaders getting together to coordinate these services happening and it’s been very successful so far.”

The organization plans to evaluate the program’s effectiveness after a year of implementation.

Additionally, the Recycling and Reuse Drop-Off Center in southeast Austin provides residents with a convenient way to dispose of hard-to-recycle items, Romero says, and the Austin Reuse Directory helps people find secondhand stores and donation sites. The popularity of the programs has led to a reduction in overtime, fuel and personnel.

“We’ve seen an uptick in the website and it is something that many, many people have accessed,” Romero says.