Item 006 - ARR Operations and Administrative Projects Update — original pdf

Backup

To: From: Date: Zero Waste Advisory Commission Amy Slagle, Assistant Director, Austin Resource Recovery October 8, 2025 Subject: Director’s Monthly Report to the Zero Waste Advisory Commission Microburst Cleanup Efforts On May 28, 2025, the City of Austin experienced significant impacts from a microburst storm, which caused widespread damage across multiple neighborhoods that included downed tree limbs, leaves, and bulk debris. In response to the storm, ARR mobilized crews to begin cleaning the impacted areas on May 29th. ARR customers submitted over 2,800 service orders via 3-1-1 for storm debris collection. During the thirty-day cleanup ARR crews and contracted debris haulers collected 5,696 tons of storm debris and approximately one ton of bulk material. The Public Drop-off at Hornsby Bend received approximately 2880 tons of material from over 3,600 customer drop-offs. The department produced approximately 34,000 cubic yards of mulch from the microburst event. Annual Reporting for the Universal Recycling Ordinance The City of Austin requires property owners and business managers of commercial and multifamily properties to ensure that their employees and tenants have convenient access to landfill diversion services, which can include single-stream recycling, and composting. Over 15,000 letters are mailed in October to remind property and business managers across Austin to submit an annual diversion report between October 1 and February 1. More information can be found at austintexas.gov/uro. Circular Accelerator and Showcase Applications Open The City of Austin offers pathways to support circular entrepreneurs and small to mid-sized enterprises. Opportunities to compete for cash prizes and improve their circular business ideas through workshops and technical assistance is available every year thru the Circular Showcase and Circular Accelerator programs. Applications will be open October 13-November 16. For more information visit https://austintexas.gov/circularshowcase Zero Waste Advisory Commission (ZWAC) C&D Committee Meeting Austin Resource Recovery is supporting the ZWAC C&D Committee meeting on October 9th at 11:00 a.m. at Cepeda Branch Library. This meeting will convene construction and demolition recycling stakeholders to discuss potential changes to the Construction and Demolition Recycling Ordinance. Sewing Machine Maintenance and Repair Workshop On October 4th at 1 p.m., ARR will host a repair workshop at Windsor Park Library. Residents will learn the basics of how to maintain your sewing machine and tackle common issues. Attendees are encourage to bring their own sewing machine!! Learn more at: austintexas.gov/FixIt. Austin City Limits Music Festival Austin Resource Recovery will be collecting trash and recycling and maintaining bins outside the festival footprint for Austin City Limits music festival on the first two weekends of October. ARR will place bins along Barton Springs, Sterzing, Toomey and Lamar and on the Pfluger and Crenshaw Bridges to collect waste from festival goers walking to and from Zilker Park. Bins will be placed each Thursday before and collection each Monday after. Crews will sweep as needed and maintain the bins throughout the day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of each weekend. Recycling and Composting Education Audit Results The Office of the City Auditor recently presented the results of an Audit on Austin Resource Recovery’s Recycling and Composting Education. The audit highlighted the zero waste goal to divert 90% of materials away from landfills by 2040 and noted that the City was not on track to meet this goal. The recommendations suggested that to improve the effectiveness of its educational efforts toward the zero waste goal, ARR should set measurable goals, regularly evaluate project outcomes using data and marketing metrics, and collaborate with internal departments and private waste haulers to standardize messaging and infrastructure. Incorporating education requirements into contracts and aligning communication strategies will help reduce confusion and expand the reach of recycling and composting education. The management response is included within the report and outlines ARR’s position, along with evidence of program effectiveness and highlights broader systemic factors influencing diversion outcomes. We appreciated the opportunity to work with the Auditor’s team and acknowledge the audit’s finding that the city’s diversion rate has remained relatively unchanged over the past decade. However, ARR respectfully disagreed with the conclusion that this stagnation is due to ineffective recycling education. The solid waste industry is highly complex with various levels of interdependency, differing regulatory requirements, infrastructure availability, service availability, and consumer behavior. These challenges were addressed in the 2023 update to the Zero Waste Plan, and the Department is actively working on supplemental metrics to better evaluate progress toward zero waste. ARR Solicitation Updates As of September 29, 2025 ZWAC Meeting October 8, 2025  Preparing for Council: • Compost Processing Services: The Contractor shall provide complete processing, sorting, and composting of organics, yard waste, food scraps, and food-/oil-soiled compostable paper, as well as marketing services to include detailed data reporting to support the City’s residential curbside compost materials collection services. Link to the current contract.  Published: • N/A  Cooperative Solicitations in Negotiations: • Routeware: The Contractor shall provide software product support for ARR’s mobile app and web widget that allows customers to check collection schedules, look up what to do with an item, schedule an appointment at the Recycle & Reuse Drop-off Center and schedule a collection. Link to the current contract.  Expected to be Published Within 90 days: • Central Business District Collection Services: The Contractor shall provide complete collection, transporting, processing, and disposal services of trash, bulk materials, recycling, compost, and daily litter cleanups, within the CBD. Link to the current contract. • Collection, Hauling, and Disposal of Materials at City Facilities: The City of Austin seeks a qualified Contractor to provide citywide collection, hauling, and disposal of landfill trash, single-stream recycling, compostable materials, Industrial Class 2, and special nonhazardous waste. The Financial Services Department oversees this citywide agreement. Link to the current contract. Definitions: CCO CO-OP (Capital Contracting Office): Administers the procurement of professional and construction services. (Cooperative Contract): A contract that has been competitively bid and issued by another government or purchasing alliance with the intention of sharing it with other governmental entities. (Interlocal Agreement): A collaborative contract between local government entities (for example, ARR and a county, state, or school district) to provide more efficient and less costly services, where any payments are made from current revenues. (Invitation for Bid): Formal bidding documents inviting suppliers to submit pricing for goods or services. (Request for Information): Used to obtain industry input, feedback, or reactions from potential suppliers prior to issuing a solicitation. RFQ (Request for Quotation): Informal request to suppliers to provide quotes on specific goods or services. (Request for Qualifications): Formal solicitation used when qualifications are the main criteria for professional services. (Request for Proposals): Formal request for a supplier to provide a solution and cost estimate to a complex need. ILA IFB RFI RFQS RFP Page 1 of 1 FY25 YTD (Oct 24-Aug 25) 127,090 5,461 411 FY 2025 Goal 135,000 5,957 449 9,263 10,865 Austin Resource Recovery Curbside Collection and Drop Off Center Operations LAST FISCAL YEAR-FY24 CURRENT FISCAL YEAR-FY25 Description of Services FY2023 FY2024 Jul 2024 Aug 2024 FY24 YTD (Oct 23-Aug 24) Jul 2025 Aug 2025 d e s o p s D s n o T i Tons of Curbside Trash Tons of Curbside Bulk Disposed HHW Operations Tons Disposed Estimated Tons of Curbside Recycling Residuals (1) Total Disposed Tons Collected Curbside and from Drop Off Center Operations 132,867 8,383 540 136,713 9,366 484 10,553 10,610 12,024 978 43 880 10,967 955 50 850 126,081 8,357 447 9,821 12,109 553 47 837 10,564 596 35 705 152,343 157,173 13,925 12,821 144,706 13,547 11,900 142,226 152,271 (1) Estimated tons of curbside recycling processed by vendors as residual - based on bi-annual sample route audit Total Tons of Recyclables Collected RRC Tons Recycled/Reused RRC Tons of Brush Collected HHW Operations Tons Recycled/Reused 53,839 1,528 0 384 42,315 1,811 0 344 Tons of Drop Off Center Collections Recycled/Reused 1,691 1,948 Tons of Curbside Compost Collected Tons of Curbside Bulk Recycled Tons of Curbside Brush Collected Tons of Curbside Textiles Collected Tons of Carts Recycled 44,445 221 175,089 58 124 42,716 206 6,713 46 177 i d e t r e v D s n o T 3,489 3,320 39,105 3,490 3,016 36,863 51,135 153 0 34 173 2,721 14 393 5 8 223 0 36 243 2,362 15 720 4 17 1,670 0 317 1,799 40,269 187 6,346 43 153 185 0 45 198 175 0 29 180 2,735 1,907 33 346 4 15 25 348 3 25 1,677 0 358 1,829 0 390 1,781 1,943 37,592 253 5,064 39 204 41,009 276 5,525 42 222 Total Diverted Tons Collected Curbside and from Drop Off Center Operations Total Tons Collected Curbside and from Drop Off Center Operations Estimated Percent of Curbside Collected Materials Diverted from Landfills by ARR 275,466 94,122 6,803 6,682 87,901 6,821 5,503 81,796 100,153 427,809 251,294 20,728 19,503 232,608 20,367 17,402 224,022 252,424 63.42% 37.04% 32.32% 33.52% 37.38% 32.91% 30.97% 36.07% 35.79% Pounds of Trash Collected per Customer per Pickup 23.76 24.39 25.51 23.30 24.56 29.16 22.40 25.33 24.64 Number of Trash and Recycling Customers 215,063 215,723 217,751 217,382 215,553 191,802 217,865 210,717 210,717 Pounds of Recycled Materials Collected per Customer per Pickup (every other week) Pounds of Curbside Compost Collected per Customer per Week 19.37 15.19 14.89 14.20 15.33 16.90 12.89 14.78 18.78 8.00 7.67 5.81 5.05 7.89 6.62 4.07 7.54 7.53 Number of Curbside Compost Customers 213,758 214,366 216,434 215,982 214,200 190,786 216,176 209,401 209,401 Total Tons of Dead Animals Collected from COA Rights-of-Way and the Animal Shelter 71 55 4 4 52 7 6 67 73 Austin Resource Recovery Curbside Collection and Drop Off Center Operations 20,728 19,503 20,367 17,402 6,803 6,682 6,821 0 5,503 Jul 2024 Aug 2024 Jul 2025 Aug 2025 Total Diverted Tons Collected Curbside and from Drop Off Center Operations Total Tons Collected Curbside and from Drop Off Center Operations Estimated Percent of Curbside Collected Materials Diverted from Landfills by ARR 0 0 33% 31% 36% 36% 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 0 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Jul 2025 Aug 2025 FY25 YTD (Oct 24-Aug 25) FY 2025 Goal Category of Waste Generation Residential Waste Diversion (city serviced accounts) Community Diversion Rate Reporting Status and Diversion Results for All Categories of Waste Generation 2020-21 Actual 41.96% * 2021-22 Actual 38.32% * 2022-23 Actual 63.42% * 2023-24 Actual 37.04% * 2024-25 Goal 35.79% * 2024-25 Current 36.07% * *As prescribed in the (1) 2023 Austin Resource Recovery Comprehensive Plan, the Department shall conduct a detailed waste assessment study every five years to determine progress toward our Zero Waste goal. This plan is an update to the (2) 2011 Master Plan (see link below).The first such study was published in (3) 2015, titled Austin’s 2015 Community Diversion Study (see link below). The study focused on estimating diversion from both ARR-serviced properties and commercial properties. Commercial properties include retail businesses, food service establishments, professional offices, industrial properties, institutional facilities, government facilities and multifamily properties five units and larger. According to Austin's 2015 Community Diversion Study, Residential Waste Diversion Rate (City-serviced accounts) represents approximately 15% and the Community Diversion Rate (accounts serviced by private waste haulers) represents approximately 85% of the total citywide. (1) 2023 Austin Recovery Comprehensive Plan (2) 2011 Master Plan (3) Austin's 2015 Community Diversion Study Residential Waste Diversion (City-serviced accounts) 63.42% 41.96% 38.32% 37.04% 35.79% 36.07% 70.00% 60.00% 50.00% 40.00% 30.00% 20.00% 10.00% 0.00% 2020-21 Actual 2021-22 Actual 2022-23 Actual 2023-24 Actual 2024-25 Goal 2024-25 Current Category of Waste Generation Commercial Tons Landfilled** Commercial Tons Recycled** Commercial Organics Tons** CY21 1,558,819 471,492 95,840 CY22 1,358,344 454,031 87,896 CY23 897,211 343,834 87,279 ** Numbers reported here are compiled from self-reported data submitted by licensed private waste haulers via semi-annual tonnage reports required under Section 15-6-3 of the City Code on a calendar year basis and as such, ARR does not attest to the accuracy of these amounts. These numbers reflect data from 100-200 licensed haulers (number of haulers varies over time), and include haulers servicing dumpsters, roll-offs, construction and demolition debris, landscaping debris, and metal scrap. These numbers do not reflect all data sources included in Austin's 2015 Community Diversion Study. Zero Waste Advisory Commission Meeting - October 2025 Single Stream Recycling Statistical Report FY25: October thru August Texas Disposal Systems (TDS) and Balcones Resources, Inc. (BRI) Month and Year Contractor Tons Delivered Contractor Payments Net Value to the City Landfill Cost Avoidance Revenue Processing Cost Net Value Net Amount * Due/(Owed) $ per ton value Cost Per Ton Total October 2024 November 2024 December 2024 January 2025 February 2025 March 2025 April 2025 May 2025 June 2025 July 2025 August 2025 TDS BRI Total TDS BRI Total TDS BRI Total TDS BRI Total TDS BRI Total TDS BRI Total TDS BRI Total TDS BRI Total TDS BRI Total TDS BRI Total TDS BRI Total 2,144.93 2,065.32 $4,210 1,877.78 2,230.55 4,108.33 2,287.96 2,261.93 4,549.89 1,951.48 2,779.03 4,730.51 1,748.80 2,046.62 3,795.42 2,040.11 2,068.38 4,108.49 1,945.56 2,310.56 4,256.12 1,788.23 2,466.41 4,254.64 1,955.56 2,113.95 4,069.51 1,895.07 2,432.11 4,327.18 1,835.66 1,885.32 3,720.98 36,850.76 232,267.97 $269,119 107,246.50 202,401.46 $309,648 ($70,395.74) $29,866.51 ($40,529) ($70,395.74) $22,399.88 ($47,996) ($32.82) $10.85 $28.34 $28.34 $30,199 $240,920 $271,118 $35,936 $233,022 $268,957 $30,218 $294,123 $324,341 $27,198 $210,298 $237,497 $33,916 $224,773 $258,688 $31,265 $239,277 $270,542 $28,936 $254,225 $283,161 $28,224 $192,418 $220,641 $25,821 $210,897 $236,718 $22,074 $146,932 $169,006 $93,889 $218,594 $312,483 $114,398 $221,669 $336,067 $97,574 $272,345 $369,919 $87,440 $200,569 $288,009 $102,006 $202,701 $304,706 $97,278 $226,435 $323,713 $89,412 $241,708 $331,119 $97,778 $207,167 $304,945 $94,754 $238,347 $333,100 $91,783 $184,761 $276,544 ($63,690) $22,326 ($41,365) ($78,462) $11,353 ($67,110) ($67,356) $21,778 ($45,578) ($60,242) $9,730 ($50,512) ($68,090) $22,072 ($46,018) ($66,013) $12,842 ($53,171) ($60,476) $12,518 ($47,958) ($69,554) ($14,749) ($84,304) ($68,933) ($27,450) ($96,383) ($63,690) $16,744 ($46,946) ($78,462) $8,515 ($69,948) ($67,356) $16,333 ($51,022) ($60,242) $7,297 ($52,945) ($68,090) $16,554 ($51,536) ($66,013) $9,632 ($56,382) ($60,476) $9,388 ($51,087) ($69,554) ($14,749) ($84,304) ($68,933) ($27,450) ($96,383) ($33.92) $7.51 $28.34 $28.34 ($34.29) $3.76 $28.34 $28.34 ($34.52) $5.88 $28.34 $28.34 ($34.45) $3.57 $28.34 $28.34 ($33.38) $8.00 $28.34 $28.34 ($33.93) $4.17 $28.34 $28.34 ($33.82) $3.81 $28.34 $28.34 ($35.57) ($6.98) $28.90 $28.90 ($36.37) ($11.29) $28.90 $28.90 ($69,709) ($37,829) ($107,538) ($69,709) ($37,829) ($107,538) ($37.97) ($20.07) $28.90 $28.90 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $28.90 $28.90 $60,787 $58,531 $119,318 $53,216 $63,214 $116,430 $64,841 $64,103 $128,944 $55,305 $78,758 $134,063 $49,561 $58,001 $107,562 $57,817 $58,618 $116,435 $55,137 $65,481 $120,618 $50,678 $69,898 $120,576 $56,516 $61,093 $117,609 $54,768 $70,288 $125,056 $53,051 $54,486 $107,536 $0 $0 $0 September 2025 TDS BRI Total 0.00 $0 $0 FY25 Totals 46,131.32 $2,809,789 $3,490,253 ($680,464) ($716,085) $1,314,148