Balcones Resources 101

Recycling Basics

Balcones Recycling partners with cities and businesses to process and sort recyclable materials. Below is a list of resources of the various communities we serve. Accepted recyclable materials vary by location. Please select your location below:

Austin, Texas

  • Paper (includes office paper, newspaper, and card stock)
  • Cardboard
  • Plastic bottles and containers
  • Glass bottles and jars
  • Aluminum and Tin Cans
  • City of Austin Residents may learn what is recyclable using the "What Do I Do With" tool.

    Taylor, Texas

  • Paper (includes office paper, newspaper, and card stock)
  • Cardboard
  • Plastic bottles and containers
  • Glass bottles and jars
  • Aluminum and Tin Cans
  • City of Taylor Residents may learn more about which items are acceptable in curbside collection bu visiting the City of Taylor Recycling website.

    Dallas, Texas

  • Paper (includes office paper, newspaper, and card stock)
  • Cardboard
  • Plastic Bottles
  • Aluminum Cans
  • City of Dallas Residents may learn more about which items are acceptable in curbside collection by visiting the City of Dallas Residential Recycling Collection website.

    Little Rock, Arkansas

  • Paper
  • Newspaper
  • Cardboard
  • Plastic Bottles (Drop Off Containers only)
  • Aluminum Cans (Drop Off Containers only)
  • Glass (Drop Off Containers only)
  • City of Little Rock Residents may learn more about which items are acceptable in curbside collection by visiting the City of Little Rock’s Recycling page.

    Sarasota, Florida

  • Paper (includes office paper, newspaper, and card stock)
  • Cardboard
  • Plastic bottles and containers
  • Glass bottles and jars
  • Aluminum and Tin Cans
  • Cartons
  • Sarasota County Residents may learn more about what items are acceptable in their curbside collection here by visiting the Sarasota County Recycles website.

    All the material you deposit in your recycling bin is picked up by your local collection service and dropped off at our Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in one big pile. We use a combination of machinery, technology, and manual sorting to separate the material by commodity type (for example, cardboard, paper, plastic, glass, and aluminum). Once all the material is properly separated, we bale it to prepare it for shipment and send it off to secondary processors or manufacturers, who use it to make new products. Some examples include aluminum cans, plastic bottles, fiberglass, tissue paper, and much more!

    MRF stands for Materials Recovery Facility. As the name suggests, a MRF is a highly specialized facility that processes recyclable materials and prepares them for secondary processing. The primary objective is to separate all recyclables according to their material type (cardboard, paper, plastic, glass, aluminum, and tin, for example). MRFs are the center of the recycling process, receiving the collected recyclable materials and preparing them for shipment to secondary processors, who will develop them into new products, and return them to the shopping shelves. In addition to single-stream recycling, all of our plants process clean, post-commercial and post industrial paper, plastic and metal that does not require sortation.

    Watch how we process recyclables at our Austin facility.

    No, bagging recycling is not necessary! All recycling material should be placed loose (bagless), clean and dry in the recycling container. One of the best ways to ensure that recyclables are recovered is to not bag your items!

    When required to bag recyclables, opt for using clear plastic bags. Bagged materials can’t be separated by our processing equipment. Recycling employees are trained to process items they can clearly see in clear bags. Items bagged in black plastic bags must be treated as trash for the safety of our employees.

    Recyclables need to be clean and dry to protect other recyclables, such as paper and cardboard, from contamination. Food or oil that is transferred to paper products may prevent it from becoming recycled. Paper and plastic are recycled by different methods. Removing foods and oil from recyclables also prevents the growth of mold and pests that may be attracted to leftover food!

    No need to remove the lids on plastic bottles. Please keep them on.

    No. Food and oil-stained pizza boxes should not be placed in the recycling bin. Cardboard and paper are recycled by first turning them into a pulp using water. Oil and water do not mix; therefore any food or oil contamination will prevent the material from being recycled. However, stained cardboard and paper can be composted! You can tear and recycle any clean portions of the pizza box.

    Straws and plastic utensils are not recyclable in the curbside bin. They are unfortunately too small to be properly separated at the MRF. If possible, remember to reduce the use of single-use plastics!

    No, please ensure your plastic and glass containers are empty when you recycle them. Plastics are recycled by melting them together with other plastics with the same resin type. Mixing two types of plastics together prevents them from getting recycled properly.

    Please remove food, liquids, and oil from containers before recycling. A quick rinse or wipe down of the container is all you need!

    Taking the steps to ensure the material you are placing in the recycling bin is recyclable curbside, and is clean, loose, and dry, helps your local recycling program work more efficiently. In other words, doing your part to reduce contamination in the recycling stream helps us process the recyclable material better and safer, ultimately empowering us to increase our positive environmental impact.

    The safety of our employees and partners is top priority. Recycling sorting employees handle the items that are placed in the recycling bin. By following local recycling guidelines, not only are you ensuring your local recycling program works efficiently, you are also keeping recycling and solid waste employees safe from hazardous materials and preventing incidents!

    Batteries and battery-operated devices cannot be recycled in curbside collection or in single-stream containers. Please visit your local household hazardous waste collection center for more information.

    A few examples of material that we do not accept are our facilities include:

  • Plastic bags
  • Batteries and battery-powered devices
  • Electronics
  • Appliances
  • Human or pet waste
  • Clothing and textiles
  • Rope, cords, strings, or hoses
  • Yard trimmings
  • Some of these items may be recyclable at specialized collection locations. We recommend The Recycling Partnership’s “What Can I Recycle” tool for assistance on how to safely dispose of material that is not collected curbside or in other single-stream recycling containers.

    If you have any questions on what items are recyclable or not, email us at info@balconesresources.com

    Shredding Services Basics

    You can shred any confidential paper files that are no longer needed. Documents that are commonly shredded include budgets, payroll information, medical records and personal and business banking information. Small paper clips and staples are okay. To learn more, go to our Shredding Section.

    Balcones Shred also provides product destruction, which includes electronic media and hard drives.To learn more, go to our Shredding Section.

    We shred almost all forms of data-containing electronic media.

  • Hard Drives & Flash Drives
  • CD/DVD
  • VHS Tapes
  • Floppy Drives
  • Floppy Disks
  • Cell Phones
  • ID Cards
  • Secure Access Cards
  • After documents have been securely shredded and confidential material destroyed, they are baled and sent to paper mills that pulp the shredded material and use it to make new paper products.

    We are members of the National Association of Information Destruction (NAID) and adhere to the industry’s best practices. After shredding services, customers receive a certification of destruction. To learn more about AAA NAID Certification, click here: https://isigmaonline.org/certifications/naid-aaa-certification/

    Commercial Customers

    New Customers

    To request services, please fill out our Contact Us form. A team member will reach out with further details.

    AUSTIN, TEXAS

    Recycling Services

  • Cart Services
  • Dumpster Service
  • Compactor Service
  • Bale Service
  • Staged trailer or live load 53’ trailer service
  • Document and Product Destruction

  • Recurring Shred Service
  • Off-Site Product Destruction
  • Hard Drive Shredding
  • Purge and Event Service
  • Drop-Off Service (please call to make an appointment!)
  • DALLAS, TEXAS

    Recycling Services

  • Cart Services
  • Dumpster Service
  • Compactor Service
  • Bale Service
  • Staged trailer or live load 53’ trailer service
  • Document and Product Destruction

  • Recurring Shred Service
  • Off-Site Product Destruction
  • Hard Drive Shredding
  • Purge Services
  • Drop-Off Service (please call to make an appointment!)
  • LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS

    Recycling Services

  • Dumpster Service
  • Compactor Service
  • Bale Service
  • Cart service for small business
  • Shredding Services

  • Recurring, Scheduled Service
  • Off-Site Product Destruction
  • Purge Services
  • Balcones Austin and Balcones Dallas offer a variety of recycling containers to meet your needs.

    Rolling carts

  • We offer 96-gallon carts for small businesses or locations with limited space & access.
  • Recycling Dumpster

  • Balcones also offer front load bins and dumpsters (2-yard, 4-yard, 6-yard, and 8-yard) for office, retail, multifamily home complexes, and manufacturing buildings.
  • Compactor

  • We offer compactor units for lease or purchase for larger volume customers in high-rise office buildings, distribution & manufacturing facilities, and retail centers.
  • Call us or submit an inquiry to learn which recycling container option is best for your location.

    Current Customers

    AUSTIN, TX

    Please call (512) 472-3355 or email our Team at customerservice@balconesresources.com

    DALLAS, TX

    Please call (972) 481-1400 or email our Team at dallascsr@balconesresources.com

    LITTLE ROCK, AR

    Please call (501) 490-0500 or email our Team at csr@natural-staterecycling.com

    AUSTIN, TX

    Please call (512) 472-3355 or email our Team at dispatch@balconesresources.com

    DALLAS, TX

    Please call (972) 481-1400 or email our Team at recyclingservice@balconesresources.com

    LITTLE ROCK, AR

    Please call (501) 490-0500 or email our Team at dispatch@natural-staterecycling.com

    Current customers can pay their invoice by entering Client Portal.

    It is very important to only place recyclable items in your recycling container. These are a few examples of items we do not accept:

  • Soft, flexible plastics such as plastic bags (baled LDPE film or shrink wrap can be recycled if collected separately, please contact your sales representative for more information)
  • Styrofoam
  • Pallets and wood
  • Plastic strapping
  • Cables and wires
  • Electronics (can be recycled separately, contact us for more information)
  • Batteries
  • Medical and Hazardous Waste materials
  • Trash
  • Please direct all on-site and janitorial staff not to place the above items in recycling containers. Some of these items may be recyclable at specialized collection locations.

    Stay tuned as we will update our website with additional resources! In the meantime, visit the following resources:

  • City of Austin URO Commercial website
  • City of Dallas Department of Sanitation
  • City of Little Rock Business Recycling
  • City of Sarasota
  • Zero Waste is a commitment to diverting resources and trash sent to landfills or incinerators. The City of Austin has a goal to reduce 90% of material sent to landfill by the year 2040. We can ensure that your office or business is staying compliant with the city’s recycling guidelines. Watch the City of Austin Zero Waste Educational Video.

    The City of Dallas’s Local Solid Waste Management Plan (LSWMP), also known as the Zero Waste Plan, was established by the City of Dallas in 2013. The City of Dallas strives for 90% percent diversion by 2040. To learn more, visit the City of Dallas Local Solid Waste Management Plan.

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