Austin, Texas, saves $180,000 with on-demand collection services

Austin, Texas, Resource Recovery (ARR) has released a memorandum summarizing the performance of its on-demand bulk and brush collection services for the first calendar year of the program’s expansion.  

According to the report, the city has saved about $180,000 through the program, which has lowered its overtime, fuel and disposal costs. 

In January 2025, ARR expanded its on-demand collection services citywide for brush, bulk and household hazardous waste. This changed collections from a predetermined semiannual schedule to on-demand, meaning residents can schedule up to three collections per service each year. 

According to the document by ARR, this model enables more efficient routing, increases scheduling flexibility and supports the diversion of materials from landfills.  

A comprehensive education and outreach campaign accompanied the rollout to inform customers of service changes, proper set-out requirements and the environmental benefits of the program. 

ARR says all on-demand services showed general increases in the tonnage of material collected from one month to the next over the course of the year, but a decrease compared to the previous calendar year. The department says the gradual increase in tonnage was likely due to customers adopting the new collection format.  

Overtime costs between the bulk and brush programs resulted in about $91,000 in savings, and brush collection fuel costs decreased, resulting in approximately $42,000 saved. 

ARR says bulk landfill costs also have decreased with the on-demand collection program, resulting in a reduction of about $86,000 from the previous calendar year. However, bulk experienced an increase in miles driven which increased fuel costs to $30,000 more than the previous year. 

On-demand bulk did see an increase in revenue, collecting more than $21,000 from the recycling of metals and appliances. 

ARR collected 73,945 appointments across all services through the end of December 2025. Bulk collection accounts for 71 percent of the total with brush and household hazardous waste accounting for 19 percent and 10 percent, respectively.