Contractors, developers and homeowners alike may benefit from the region's first fully integrated construction and demolition materials recycling facility in southeast Austin—owned and operated by Texas Disposal Systems, or TDS.

The details

The new 52,000-square-foot facility, which opened earlier this month, is designed to handle concrete, aggregates, untreated wood, cardboard, plastics and metals, and helps to keep these materials out of local landfills.

TDS Executive Adam Gregory said the $5.5 million facility was specifically designed to increase opportunities for recycling and waste diversion in Central Texas.

“Our team saw the rapid expansion happening throughout Central Texas and realized the volume of construction that would be required as our communities and the Greater Austin economy continued to expand,” Gregory said in a statement. “We envisioned this facility as an innovative, tech-driven resource for companies who were laying strong foundations throughout our communities, and who want to do it in the most sustainable way possible.”

By using automation and processing materials in-house, TDS has created a greener recycling ecosystem, the company said in a news release, explaining that it reduces carbon emission pollution caused by historically having to transport materials elsewhere.

The facility is expected to process between 25-50 tons per hour, which may result in the diversion of up to 70% of construction and demolition materials from landfills, the release states.



Some context

In 2015, city of Austin officials passed an ordinance requiring construction and demolition projects to recycle or reuse debris instead of sending these materials to landfills. Contractors are also required to submit reports showing how much debris was recycled and how much was landfilled, or otherwise face hundreds of dollars in fines per day.

Per C&D recycling ordinance, individuals or contractors with affected projects—those with building permits for more than 5,000 square feet of new, added or remodeled floor area—must do at least one of the following:

• Divert at least 50% of the construction and demolition project debris from the landfill.
• Dispose of less than 2.5 pounds of construction and demolition debris per square foot of permitted floor area in the landfill.

The city encourages contractors to meet the recycling requirements by reusing construction and demolition material on-site, sending separated materials to reuse facilities, sending mixed materials to construction and demolition processors or a combination of those opportunities.

Find more information on city regulations here and further information on the new TDS recycling facility and services here.