Bob and Jim Gregory inherited a love for trash—scrap metal, brush and other forms of refuse—from their father, a scrap metal worker, and they turned that love into a Central Texas empire.

Texas Disposal Systems provides residential waste collection for San Marcos, Buda, Kyle, Austin and parts of San Antonio, as well as commercial collection within areas of Hays and Travis counties.

TDS sits on 2,000 acres in Creedmoor, 1 mile northeast of Buda.

The business has stayed in the family, and Jim's daughter Jennifer now acts as the company's marketing director. Jennifer said when TDS first announced plans to open its facility in 1989, residents of the area were very vocal about where they stood on the issue.

"We knew there was going to be opposition," she said. "We were prepared for that, and really what we were telling them we were going to do, no one had ever said before."

Jennifer said her father and uncle promised residents there would be no stench or bird problem, and the landfill would not be "a bad thing for the community."

"No one wants a landfill in their backyard, so they fought us going into it, but once we got permitted and once we got up and running, then it was a whole different story," she said.

In 1991, TDS received the first permit in Texas for a fully integrated landfill with recycling and composting.

Since receiving the permit, TDS has grown to include waste management services throughout Central Texas and in Alpine, where city officials caught wind of the company's reputation and decided to dump their old service provider. Jennifer said though she is not arrogant about it, she believes the company deserves to be recognized for its unique model and methodology.

"The normal way of a landfill is the more you bury, the more money you make," she said. "In our model, that's not necessarily being a good steward of the environment that we feel like we've been put over in this place to oversee. 'Diversion' is a big word for us, because we divert as much as we can and find another use for it."

Evidence of the company's emphasis on diversion can be seen at its resale center, which is filled with golf clubs, furniture and home appliances. Jennifer said her children's bikes and all of her appliances—all except her brand-new refrigerator—came from the resale center at TDS.

"They've got little dings," Jennifer said. "It's trash to someone else, but it works for me."

Exotic game ranch

TDS owns between 2,000 and 3,000 animals—including members of 100 species—at its exotic game ranch next to the landfill. Every continent except Antarctica is represented in the collection, which includes:

Black rhinos

Giraffes

American alligators

Bengal tigers

Buffalo

Camels

Zebras

More than 90 other species

Animal house

When TDS officials first announced their intentions to build a landfill in Creedmoor, they intended to include a golf course on the property. Marketing Director Jennifer Gregory said her father and uncle, the company's co-founders, quickly realized they did not have time for golf and decided to start an exotic animal reserve instead.

The Texas Disposal Systems exotic game ranch began with a few cattle, but it slowly turned into a huge reserve.

12200 Carl Road, Creedmoor, 800-375-8375, www.texasdisposal.com