How to Recycle in Austin: What Is Recyclable and What Is Not

Do your part to help our Earth and learn how to properly recycle.

Since the BP oil spill in April 2010, America's environmental impact on the world has been on the chopping block. While you can't directly extract oil from the Gulf of Mexico, you can do your part to limit your carbon footprint by recycling. And if you're going to help, wouldn't you rather do it right and not counter-act your efforts?

Most Americans aren't recycling correctly and it's costing them time and more taxes to not learn how.

A few years ago, the City of Austin established a one-bin recycle system which keeps all recycable material together versus sorting it into separate glass-only or plastic-only bins. The new system has made it easier for Austinites, freeing them of having to maintain separate bins, but harder for trash collectors since it is now harder for them to find mistakes. To offset trash collectors' time and money, city officials decided to throw away recycled material that isn't sorted properly. So now when a trash collector sees misplaced trash in recycling bins, it's never sorted through and salvaged. Instead, to save them time and taxpayer money, it's thrown out with the trash and all your efforts have been thrown out with it.

Learn how to recycle to keep our world cleaner and greener.

What to recycle in Austin

1. Plastics

   • Plastics with recycling numbers #1 - #7 (imprinted on the bottom or side of an item)
     Note: You cannot recycle plastic bottles that contained any of the following: motor oil, pesticides, herbicides, adhesives, paints or solvents.
   • Water, soda and juice bottles
   • Milk jugs
   • Shampoo, conditioner & liquid soap bottles
   • Detergent bottles
   • Bleach and all-purpose cleaner bottles
   • Margarine tubs, yogurt containers
   • Empty medicine bottles
   • Clean frozen food trays
   • Plastic lids from bottles
   • Plastic takeout containers
   • Plastic produce containers
   • Plastic disposable plates, cups and utensils (check for recycling number on bottom)

2. Glass

   • Rinsed glass bottles and jars (with labels and lids—okay)

3. Metal

   • Aluminum cans (soda cans, etc.)
   • Tin & steel cans (soup cans, tuna cans, etc.)
   • Empty aerosol cans
   • Metal lids from glass jars

4. Paper

   • Boxboard
     Any boxboard with food residue on it cannot be recycled and should be placed in your garbage cart.
   • Catalogs
   • Holiday and greeting cards
   • Home office paper
     Stickies, manila envelopes, file folders, paper ream wrappers
   • Junk mail and envelopes
     Not product samples
     Envelope labels and windows are okay
   • Magazines
   • Newspapers and inserts
   • Paper bags (not gift bags)
   • Phone books
   • Recyclable paper
   • Shredded paper
     Paper must meet the recycling guidelines before it was shredded.
     Please use paper bags to hold shredded paper and place it in your Single Stream Recycling cart.
     Do not place shredded paper in plastic bags.
   • Wrapping Paper (but not ribbons and bows)

5. Other

• TVs, Computers and Electronics
• Motor Oil
• Corrugated Cardboard

What is not recyclable in Austin

Unrecyclable Plastic

• Plastic bags and packaging including grocery bags, dry cleaner bags, plastic food bags or plastic newspaper sleeves.
  There are many plastic bag recycling programs in Austin including Cycled Plastics that recycles plastics bags, newspaper bags, dry cleaner bags, etc. that have no labels, stickers or food on them.
• Styrofoam
• Toys
• Motor oil bottles

Unrecyclable Glass

• Broken glass (note: when throwing away broken glass, make sure it is properly packaged and labeled before being put in garbage.)
• Light bulbs
• Mirrors
• Window panes
• Dishes and cups
• Ornaments and decorations

Unrecyclable Metal

• Aluminum foil
• Coat hangers
• Helium containers
• Paint and solvent containers
• Scrap metal (nails, screws, gutters, etc.)

Unrecyclable Paper

• Disposable paper plates and cups (note: Disposable plastic plates and cups can be recycled after rinsed.)
• Facial tissue
• Gift bags
• Milk and juice cartons
• Paper towels
• Pizza boxes
• Toilet tissue
• Wet, soiled or food-stained paper

For more resources on what you can and cannot recycle in Austin, check the City of Austin's website directory for recyclable items.