Taking Austin's recycling to the next level

Single Stream allows customers to mix recyclable paper, plastic and glass in one bin. This method has many advantages:

• Toss ALL your recycling into one cart
• Recycle MORE and more types of items
• Encourages MORE residents to recycle

When does it start?

Beginning October 2008 and extending through the end of the year, crews will deliver blue, 90-gallon recycling carts to City of Austin Solid Waste Services residential customers.

How will it work?

After the new service launches, all your recyclables will go in one cart:
paper, cardboard, boxboard, aluminum cans, metal cans, plastic and glass. Small blue bins will no longer be used at curbside for collection. Crews will collect recycling with automated collection trucks, and recycling collection will occur every other week. You will receive complete Single Stream Recycling instructions and a calendar showing your collection schedule with your new recycling cart.

What goes in the recycling cart?

Paper: (newspaper, office paper, junk mail, cereal and soft drink boxes, corrugated cardboard)
Aluminum and metal cans: food cans (labels left on OK), soda cans
Glass: Jars and bottles
Rigid plastics: # 1 through # 7, including yogurt and margarine tubs

What cannot be recycled?

Plastic bags, Styrofoam (cups, egg cartons, take-out containers).

Single Stream FAQ.