Central Texas family company emphasizes recycling throughout Leander

When Al Clawson Disposal Inc. opened for business in 1982, the company worked with only 300 customers.

Now, more than 30 years since opening, ACDI operates throughout Central Texas, including more than 9,300 Leander customers. The company is in its second five-year contract with the city, a deal that started in 2005, said Tanya Clawson, ACDI corporate secretary and sales and marketing director for Leander.

Recycling has been a company focus for almost all three of its decades, Clawson said.

"We were one of the first [disposal companies] in Central Texas to start recycling," she said. "When we started, we only had trailers and trash cans. We've gone far beyond that."

The company in 2012 expanded its recycling efforts by teaming up with Balcones Recycling in Austin to coordinate curbside pickups as part of ACDI's routine trash hauling. The emphasis on increased recycling services is consistent with the goals of the company's founder, she said.

"We don't just promote it—we also recycle at home," Clawson said. "We take what we do and what we teach our kids and try to apply that to what we do at work."

Founder Al Clawson died in 2008, leaving ACDI to his family. They all collectively serve as the company's board of directors.

"It was always a family business, but we became much more involved after that," she said.

Troy Clawson, company vice president and Central Texas sales and marketing director, said he has worn many hats while working for his parents' company, and it is the only place he has ever worked. He estimates that more than 50 percent of ACDI's workforce has been with the company at least 10 years.

Following the same principles he witnessed growing up, Troy Clawson said he strives to ensure the vitality of the 76 families with family members employed by ACDI in much the same way his parents ensured food was on their table each evening.

"We try to treat everybody like family—you're more to us than just an employee," Troy Clawson said. "It's just treating people right, doing a good job and today taking what my mom and dad taught us."

ACDI has always strived to be community-oriented, converting its Jarrell headquarters into a free public recycling station. It has have also been active locally at Leander ISD and Leander's Liberty Fest.

"What you take out of a community, you're supposed to give back to it," Troy Clawson said. "We try to do that in every community we serve, not just Leander."

Tanya Clawson has also been active the past 10 years with the Greater Leander Chamber of Commerce, on which she serves as board chairwoman. She intends to take her experience on the board and use it toward opening Jarrell's first chamber of commerce, Clawson said.

512-930-5490, www.clawsondisposal.com