The first year of Austin Resource Recovery's new on-demand pickup service saw "overwhelming" use by residents, who placed tens of thousands of appointments and had nearly 10,000 tons of bulk trash, brush and hazardous waste collected, according to the city.
What happened
After years of limited pilot programs for on-demand pickup services, ARR launched the new on-demand service in January 2025. The change was billed as a strategy to divert bulk items from landfills in line with civic zero waste goals; limit accumulating brush and related wildfire risks; and offer a flexible option to residents who'd no longer have to wait months for set collections.
In the first year of citywide on-demand service, Austin reported:
- 73,945 on-demand appointments made by customers, 71% of which were for bulk pickups
- 9,685 tons of total material collected
- A more than $91,000, or 22%, annual decrease in overtime costs for bulk and brush collection services as well as a more than $11,000, or 4%, decrease in fuel costs for pickup operations
- A 33% decline in disposal costs for bulk collections and a more than $20,000 increase in revenue
- A nearly 69% increase in bulk waste diverted from landfills
Zooming in
ARR reported the pickup service saw gradually increasing usage throughout last year as public awareness grew. That included "seasonal spikes," especially during summer, and some disruptions due to weather events like last May's microburst storm.
The new service generally lowered ARR operating costs, although bulk collection demand led to annual increases in miles driven by ARR crews and related fuel costs. However, those were offset by overall savings and revenue increases, and decreased ARR mileage for brush collections.
The city also reported high resident approval with the new on-demand system. Around 88% of surveyed ARR customers graded bulk and brush collections at five out of five stars, and almost 95% gave that rating for hazardous waste pickup service. Nearly all customers also reported being satisfied or very satisfied with scheduling service and timely pickups.
What's next?
Austin is continuing to review the service, and will adjust operations as needed to divert even more materials and boost public satisfaction. Some parts of town also had relatively low program usage, and ARR Director Richard McHale also said the department intends to roll out educational campaigns to increase awareness in response.
"Moving forward, ARR will continue targeted education in lower-participation areas, evaluate the scheduling platform, monitor performance metrics, and pursue additional diversion opportunities to further enhance service effectiveness," McHale said in a February memo.
On-demand appointments can be made online, by calling 512-974-2000, or through the city's Austin Recycles app.
