Recycling and Disposal

Household Hazardous Waste

2514 Business Center Drive
Austin 78744 (Map)

Please check the city's website for hours of operation and materials accepted.

The City of Austin Recycle & Reuse Drop-off center is open to City of Austin and Travis County residents to safely dispose hazardous waste. Pouring chemicals down the drain, dumping them on the ground or putting them in the trash is dangerous and harmful to the environment.

The facility will dispose of up to 30 gallons of hazardous waste generated in the home free of charge. If a resident brings more than 30 gallons of hazardous waste, they may be charged at cost for the disposal of the extra waste. The cost of disposal varies, depending on the material. However, the cost is sometimes greater than the original purchase price. Please do not bring items in containers with more than 5 gallons of capacity.

You can find more information about hazardous waste, including the list of household hazardous waste items are accepted and what items are not accepted, on the city's website. If you have any questions you can call the facility at (512) 974-4343 or email Travis County staff at [email protected].

Austin ReBlend

Did you know that your leftover paint can be re-blended with other paint and is available for your use … and right now it's FREE! Talk about a great way to keep hazardous waste out of the landfill AND get a great deal on paint.

Re-Blended paint:

• Helps keep paint out of landfills
• Conserves water used to make new paint
• Prevents pollution from the mining and extraction of raw materials
• Moves Austin further toward its zero waste goal

• Austin Water answers your questions about proper disposal of grease.
• The Hazardous Home Handbook is published by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and is a helpful guide to hazardous household products and their effective alternatives.
• What Do I Do With ... is a great site from City of Austin that should help you figure out how to recycle just about anything!

You can find more information about hazardous waste, including the list of household hazardous waste items are accepted and what items are not accepted, on the city's website. If you have any questions you can email or call the facility at (512) 974-4343 or email Travis County staff at [email protected].

Other Recycling & Disposal

The Recycling & Waste Drop-off Locator tool identifies drop-off locations for recycling or proper disposal of items such as recyclables, paint and paint-related waste, furniture, tires, electronics, construction debris, and more. Search for drop-off locations near you. If you notice a location has closed or no longer accepts certain items, click the information “i” button in the top right corner of the locator tool to let us know.

Go to the Recycling and Waste Drop-off Locator page.

Travis County 1431 Citizens Collection Center

Address

2625 Woodall Dr
Leander, TX 78613

Hours of Operation

8:00 am-3:50 pm Thursday-Saturday
(Closed Sunday-Wednesday)

Phone

512-998-3781

Cost

$4.33 (tax included) per cubic yard (roughly the size of a pick-up bed) Cash or check only (no credit cards)

Materials Accepted

Household garbage only (no large items such as mattresses or furniture, tires, hazardous waste items, or construction debris)

COVID-19 Protocols

Make sure to wear a mask when dropping off items at the Collection Center and if you have any COVID-19 symptoms, stay at home.

Prescription Take Back Kiosks

Permanent RX Drop-Off Locations

Medication Drop-Off

Safely dispose of unused or expired medicines, including controlled substances

Only medications from individuals can be accepted. Inventory from a pharmacy or healthcare facility is not accepted.

Safe, Secure, and Anonymous

Simply walk up and put your medication into the collection bin. You do not have to answer any questions. The bin is secured to the ground and double-locked for security. Staff periodically empty the bin and the contents are incinerated. The bag is never opened, so any personal information left on medication bottles remains secure.

Questions? Call 3-1-1 or (512) 974-2000

Proper Usage

• If someone cannot make the trip to a collection bin, they may dispose of medication in the trash by following these guidelines
  1. Empty medicine containers into a sealable bag or a disposable container with a lid
  2. Mix the drugs with an undesirable substance, such as used coffee grounds or cat litter and seal the container.
  3. Place container in the trash.
  4. Conceal or remove any personal information, including the prescription (Rx) number, on the empty containers and recycle them.
• Illegal drugs cannot be disposed of in the collection bins.

Christmas Tree Recycling

After the holidays, Travis County residents can give their Christmas trees another life by bringing them to one of five FREE recycling drop-off locations. The County drop-off sites will be open from December 26 to January 10. For years, Travis County has provided tree recycling for residents who buy live Christmas trees. Before dropping off your tree, please follow the disposal requirements listed below to ensure trees can be mulched and recycled. There is no charge for Travis County residents to drop off their trees.

Additionally, commercial retailers can also take advantage of this free service for bulk drop-offs (10 or more trees) but will be restricted to one of the following two locations: West Service Center (WSC) or East Service Center (ESC). These bulk drop-offs must be scheduled by calling the WSC main line, 512-854-8140, or the ESC main line, 512-854-9114. The WSC and ESC phone lines are open Monday-Friday from 7 am-3:30 pm. All bulk drop-offs must comply with the disposal requirements listed below to ensure trees can be mulched and recycled. There is no charge for Travis County commercial retailers to drop off their bulk trees.

Drop-off locations are available December 26 through January 10, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
View the Christmas Tree Recycling flyer.

Tree Drop-off Locations

• West Service Center
  4501 FM 620
  Austin, TX 78732
  View (Map)
• Del Valle Adult Softball Complex
  3614 FM 973,
  Del Valle, TX 78617
  View (Map)
• 1431 Collection Station
  2625 Woodall Dr
  Leander, TX 78613
  View (Map)
• East Service Center
  6011 Blue Bluff
  Austin, TX 78724
  View (Map)
• Northeast Metro Park
  15500 Sun Light Near Way,
  Pflugerville, TX 78660
  View (Map)

Tree Disposal Requirements

• Only natural trees are accepted (no plastic/artificial trees)
• Remove all ornaments, decorations, lights, and tree stands (wooden blocks)
• Remove all nails, screws, staples, wire, and metal
• Trees sprayed with flocking or artificial snow are not accepted
• Do not place the tree in a “tree bag” or any plastic bag
• Netting or rope wrapped around the tree is not accepted
• Trees taller than 6ft must be cut in half

City of Austin curbside customers can recycle their trees by leaving them at the curb on their composting or yard trimmings collection day(s). All other Austin residents can drop trees off at Zilker Park. For more information on Zilker Park drop-off, additional alternative drop-offs, and volunteer opportunities, visit https://www.austintexas.gov/treerecycling.

Recycle holiday lights that no longer work at the Recycle and Reuse Drop-off Center located at 2514 Business Center Dr. They can also accept packaging such as Styrofoam and cardboard. For more information, visit https://www.austintexas.gov/dropoff. You can also search for drop-off locations near you using the Travis County Drop-off Locator: www.traviscountyrecycles.com