REGULAR MEETING OF THE ZERO WASTE ADVISORY COMMISSION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2026, AT 6:00 P.M. CITY HALL ROOM 1001 301 W 2ND ST. AUSTIN, TEXAS Some members of the Zero Waste Advisory Commission may be participating by videoconference. The meeting may be viewed online at: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely via telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation by telephone. To register to speak remotely, contact Gustavo Valle, 512-974-4350, Gustavo.Valle@austintexas.gov. CURRENT [BOARD MEMBERS OR COMMISSIONERS]: Gerry Acuna, Chair Ian Steyaert, Vice Chair Melissa Caudle Michael Drohan CALL TO ORDER Caitlin Griffith John L. Harris Ali Ishaq Iris Suddaby AGENDA PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL Seth Whaland Vacant Vacant The first 5 speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three- minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. 2. Approve the minutes of the Zero Waste Advisory Commission Regular meeting on February 11, 2026. Approve the minutes of the Special Called Zero Waste Advisory Commission meeting on March 25, 2026. ACTION ITEMS 3. 4. Conduct officer elections for the Chair and Vice Chair of the Zero Waste Advisory Commission. Discussion and action to recommend for approval of the amended administrative rules for Drop Off and Curbside Services. STAFF BRIEFINGS 5. 6. 7. Staff briefing regarding the one-year update of the On Demand Bulk Collection program by Samuel Gilbert and Donald Hardee, Litter Abatement and Diversion Facilities Division Managers of Austin Resource Recovery. Staff briefing regarding the Proposed Department Rule Amendments for Drop Off and Curbside Services, by Jason McCombs, Strategic Initiatives Division Manager of Austin Resource Recovery. Staff briefing on the status of Austin Resource Recovery Operational and Administrative projects by Richard McHale, Director of Austin Resource Recovery. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. For assistance, please contact the Liaison or TTY users’ route through 711. A person may request language access accommodations no later than 48 hours before the scheduled meeting. Please call or email Gustavo Valle email Recovery Department, Gustavo.Valle@austintexas.gov …
CITY OF AUSTIN AGENDA DATE: XX RECOMMENDATION FOR COUNCIL ACTION AGENDA ITEM NO.:XX PAGE: 1 of 2 *** DRAFT *** SUBJECT: Approve amendments to administrative rules to City Code Chapter 15-6 (Solid Waste Services) relating to curbside and drop off service. AMOUNT & SOURCE OF FUNDING: n/a FISCAL NOTE: No fiscal impact REQUESTING DEPARTMENT: Austin Resource Recovery FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Gena McKinley, Deputy Director, 512-974-2192; Richard McHale, Director, 512-974-1997 PRIOR COUNCIL ACTION: In 2012, City Council amended Chapter 15-6 of the City of Austin Code of Ordinances to require all Austin Resource Recovery proposed rules to be approved, modified, or disapproved by City Council [Ordinance 20120628-12]. BOARD AND COMMISSION ACTION: On March 25, the Climate, Water, Environment and Parks Committee was briefed by memorandum with no action taken. On April 8, 2026 the Zero Waste Advisory Commission (ZWAC) voted X-X -X. PURCHASING LANGUAGE: n/a MBE / WBE: n/a BACKGROUND Austin Resource Recovery’s Administrative Rules outline the implementation, administration, and enforcement of City of Austin Code and operating requirements of the department. In 2012, Austin City Council amended Chapter 15-6 of the City of Ausitn Code to require all Austin Resource Recovery proposed rules be approved, modified, or disapproved by City Council in accordance with Ordinance 20120628-12. ARR posted the proposed rules amendment to Speak Up Austin and opened public comment from 08/15/2025 through 09/15/205. Forty-eight responses were received from 28 individuals. Staff responses to public comment are attached. AMENDMENT *** DRAFT *** CITY OF AUSTIN AGENDA DATE: XX RECOMMENDATION FOR COUNCIL ACTION PAGE: 2 of 2 AGENDA ITEM NO.:XX *** DRAFT *** This amendment includes new guidelines for dropping off material at drop-off locations in alignment with department practices. A new limit for brush drop off is proposed: six cubic yards per person per day. This limit is introduced to mitigate large brush loads dropped off by commercial contractors at Hornsby Bend Biosolids Management Plant. Hornsby Bend is not designed to process large commercial loads that contain commercial debris and other trash material that damage City equipment. Residents may continue to drop off brush below this new limit, including those who are not ARR customers. The 6 cubic yard per person per day is a reasonable limit for average household to drop off brush. Additionally, the rules propose requiring all users of the brush drop off facility to pay a fee starting October 1, 2026. The fee will be …
On-Demand Services: Brush, Bulk and Household Hazardous Waste Samuel Gilbert, Division Manager- Litter Abatement Donald Hardee, Division Manager- HHW-RRDOC Austin Resource Recovery April 1, 2026 Brush, Bulk and HHW then and now: In January 2025 Austin Resource Recovery began city wide collection of Brush, Bulk and Household Hazardous Waste material through an appointment-based service model. This allows for: Three(3) collections per year per service Customers scheduling at their convenience Collections completed off service day to increase the curb access Previous Model Customer notifications sent by mail for upcoming brush and bulk collections Brush and Bulk collection twice annually. Collections generally six months apart Limited diversion of revenue generating bulk recyclables Appointments for HHW drop-off only with no curbside collections. 2 Brush and Bulk On-Demand Appointments CY25 Brush and Bulk On Demand Monthly Appointments • Brush- 14,146 calendar year appointments • Bulk- 52,442 calendar year appointments 3 CY25 Brush and Bulk On-Demand Tonnage Appointment based servicing has caused a decrease in the tonnage collected for both Brush and Bulk landfilled. The tons of recyclables diverted has increased. 4 Operational Costs, Revenue, Diversion, Mileage Category Metric Brush CY25 Operational Costs, Revenue, and Diversion CY24 $121,668 $107,844 Overtime $92,671 $134,405 Fuel Costs $283,105 $205,656 Overtime $152,854 $183,254 Fuel Costs Disposal Costs $258,199 $172,080 $21,485 Revenue 334 Tons Diverted $140 198 Difference ($13,824) ($41,734) ($77,449) $30,400 ($86,119) $21,345 136 Bulk Bulk Fuel savings in Brush With on-demand, ARR has experienced changes by program: • Overtime savings in Brush and Bulk • • Reduced landfill cost in Bulk Increased fuel costs in Bulk • Increased revenue from diversion efforts • Brush collection experienced a significant decrease in miles driven, bulk collection showed an increase in total miles. Of the increase in bulk mileage, 22% is related to diversion related materials. Calendar Year Mileage Comparison Category Brush Bulk CY24 140,844 160,176 CY25 Difference 97,110 192,033 (43,734) 31,857 5 HHW On-Demand Program Performance The launch of the On-Demand program has helped to increase participation in HHW disposal services with almost 2,000 more residents requesting service in calendar year 2025 over the previous 12 months. HHW Calendar Year 2025 Data HHW Drop-off HHW On-Demand HHW Program Participation CY2024 vs CY2025 40,000 36,000 32,000 28,000 24,000 34,050 35,921 CY 2024 CY 2025 Total Year Participation Participation Total Disposal Cost Total Collected (lbs) Disposal Cost/lb Personnel Cost Waste/HH (lbs) Disposal Cost/HH Personnel Cost/HH …
Rule Amendments: Drop Off & Curbside Services Austin Resource Recovery | April 2026 What are administrative rules? Administrative Rules assist a Department of the City of Austin in the implementation, administration, and enforcement of City of Austin Code and operating requirements of the Department. Austin Code § 15-6-3(B) requires ARR to present proposed rule changes to the Zero Waste Advisory Commission for consideration and recommendation to City Council. City Council will approve, modify or disapprove of the proposed rule.” Department Administrative Rules are online at: library.municode.com/TX/Austin 2 Austin Resource Recovery Rule Amendment Process August September Oct - Nov Mar - Apr May Present Proposed Department Rule Amendment to ZWAC Proposed Rule Posted to Speak Up Austin. 30 Day Minimum Staff Review of Public Comments Present Rule Amendments to ZWAC & CWEP for consideration Council Consideration of Department Rule Amendment 3 Current Identified Department Rule Amendments Residential Services Rule Revisions 1. 2. 3. 4. Single Family Residential Collection Services (4.1 & 4.2) Placement of Carts for Collection (6.1) Extra Trash (6.3) Drop Off Services (5.8), Trash, Recycling, Organics, Bulk, HHW Collection Guidelines (7.1, 7.3, 7.6, 7.7, 7.8, 7.9) Small Multi-family Residential Collection Services (New section 4.3); Commercial Collection Services (Existing 4.3, moved to 4.4) 4 Rule Amendment Highlights 5.6 6.3 7.1 Reuse and Recycling Drop Off Locations - Modified intake procedures at Hornsby Bend - A new limit of 6 cubic yards per person, per day - Brush drop off open to Austin residents and non-residents - All brush drop off users will be charged a fee at the site, starting October 2026 7.5 7.6 7.7 On-Demand Bulk Collection Guidelines - Aligns rules with on-demand program On-Demand Brush Collection Guidelines - Aligns rules with on-demand program On-Demand Household Hazardous Waste Collection Guidelines - Aligns rules with on-demand program Extra Trash, Recycling, and Composting - Clarifies extra trash rules and extra trash fees - Extra Recycling collection at no cost - Sets15 bag limit for yard trimmings Curbside Trash Guidelines - Sets standards for allowable size and collection of extra trash 5 6 Administrative Rules Update 3 Comment Summary and Staff Response This document includes public comments to ARR’s latest round of Administrative Rules updates. Some comments have been edited and combined for clarity. Direct quotes are put in quotation marks. Bulk Comment Staff Response Please provide guidance on what to do with small amounts of construction waste. One idea is that …
To: Zero Waste Advisory Commission From: Richard McHale, Director, Austin Resource Recovery Date: April 8, 2026 Subject: Director’s Monthly Report to the Zero Waste Advisory Commission Reuse Warehouse After a two-year search for a suitable location, Austin Resource Recovery (ARR) is proceeding with the acquisition of 9201 Metric Boulevard for the Reuse Warehouse. The Purchase and Sale Agreement was executed on January 29, 2026, for $4.4 million. The City completed all due diligence on March 24, 2026, including appraisal, environmental assessments, building condition review, title review, and survey, with no issues identified. The acquisition was approved by Council on March 26, 2026, on consent. ARR anticipates closing on the facility in the coming weeks with opening planned for late summer or early fall 2026. Textiles and Clothing On-Demand Collection Austin Resource Recovery (ARR) has added Textile and Clothing collection as part of the on-demand program. Customers can request up to three collections per year at their convenience. Acceptable items will include clothing, blankets, linens, and curtains. Social media posts were made announcing that scheduling is now available; additional information can be found on ARR’s website. There are no additional resources planned for this expansion. 2026 Update on Impact of the HOME Initiative on the Department The City of Austin HOME initiative is a land use policy intended to reduce barriers to building accessory dwelling units on residential lots. Austin Resource Recovery (ARR) has added 232 new addresses on 61 existing trash routes from February 2025 through February 2026. The impact of these new additions have been absorbed as part of overall department operations. The department will continue to monitor these changes are how they impact route lengths, street congestion, and parking access. Potential policy changes may be needed to restrict parking on collection days and allow for the sharing of carts at properties with 2 to 4 dwelling units. Fix-It Clinic A Fix-It Clinic will be on May 2 at the Carver Library from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Residents can bring broken household items and learn to fix them with guidance from skilled coaches. There will be a drop-off period the week leading up to the clinic, for those who need something fixed but are unable to attend the event. Learn more, volunteer or register at austintexas.gov/fix-it Fix-it Clothing Swap and Mending Events Community members can bring clean, gently used clothing to swap with the community. If they have …
