Miscellaneous
- Tires will be accepted at any Sears location for a state-mandated fee of $2. Tire stores like Discount Tire Warehouse may also accept old tires for the fee.
- Bikes and bike parts can be given to the Yellow Bike Project, or Bikes not Bombs; you could also try to trade or sell what you have at a Frankenbike swap meet.
- Carpet pads will be taken M-F 7:30a-5:30p by Designer Floors of Texas.
- Styrofoam Egg Cartons are accepted at several places: Sun Harvest Farms, 4006 S Lamar; Austin Community Gardens, 458-2009; Chicken Farmer Cindy Mclendon in Georgetown,
(512) 869-1886
; and Kathy Lawrence, (512) 376-7819 - Styrofoam packing peanuts are accepted at all Mailbox Etc. locations, Mail Center USA (3300 Bee Caves, 327-9101), and at the Tesoros Trading Company’s wholesale office (506 Baylor).
- Nike Recycling Center, c/o Reuse-A-Shoe, 199 Pearson Parkway, Lebanon, IN 46052
More recycling and waste-disposal resources
If this list doesn’t meet your needs, don’t despair. Here are two more websites that exhaustively list all recyclables and disposal locations:
- “How do I dispose of…?” by the City of Austin
- “What can I recycle?” by Ecology Action
Do-it-yourself recycling and facilities
Ecology Action
| Area | Downtown |
|---|---|
| Address | 707 E 9th Street |
| Phone | 512-322-0000 |
| Hours | Mon–Fri: 10a–6p Sat–Sun: 9a–5p |
| Ecology Action |
Ecology Action recycles everything the city does. Additionally they accept many items that the city won’t: foil and pie plates, greasy pizza boxes, all scrap metal, corrugated cardboard (any size or shape), paperboard, books, phone books, ink cartridges, toner cartridges, and (during business hours) cell phones that include their batteries. As noted in their comment below, they also now have a business pickup service.
Diversion Recycling Center
| Area | Airport |
|---|---|
| Address | 10108 FM 812 |
| Phone | 512-243-3325 |
| Hours | Mon–Fri: 8a–4:30p |
| Diversion Recycling Center |
The Diversion Recycling Center at the City of Austin landfill accepts appliances and car batteries. They also accept aluminum cans and large metal items. They do not accept TVs, microwaves, and motor oil. You can also get free mulch here when they have it.
Household Hazardous Waste Facility
| Area | South |
|---|---|
| Address | 2514 Business Center Drive |
| Phone | 512-974-4334 |
| Hours | Tue–Wed: 12p–6p First Sat of every month: 7a–12p Business drop-off by appointment |
| Household Hazardous Waste Facility |
The Household Hazardous Waste Facility accepts a huge list of toxic and hazardous materials, including liquids, chemicals, and batteries. Austin residents can drop off “limited quantities” (up to 30 gallons) of hazardous waste for free every Tuesday or Wednesday from 12pm–6pm and the first Saturday of every month from 7am–12pm. Businesses may drop off materials by appointment only. For more information, contact Mike Van Zandt at 974-4334.
Grocery stores
All Whole Foods, Central Market, H-E-B, and Randall’s locations will accept any type of plastic bags in any quantity for recycling. These grocery stores are the only places in the city you can recycle plastic bags. The downtown Whole Foods location also accepts glass, plastic (types 1 and 2), and metal cans. (Look for the pod-shaped green bins near the street-level entrance.)
Private recycling firms that offer pick-up services
- Balcones Resources (commercial): Judy Briscoe, 476-6200
- Trusty Pickup Service (freelance): 347-1026, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
- Recycling Services Inc. (commercial, residential): 250-0360
- Tri-Recycling (commercial, residential): 329-0172
Composting
Composting is so easy and you really don't need a fancy bin.
Do not compost: meat, fish, poultry (this includes bones), food sauces, fat, grease, oils, dairy products, feces, invasive weeds, treated wood, ashes, charcoal, and non-organic things like plastic, metal, and glass. Basically do not include anything that will become infectious as it decomposes, or might poison or infest the area.
Do compost: grass, yard/tree trimmings, leaves, vegetable and fruit food scraps, coffee grounds, tea leaves, shredded paper.
