Recycling - City of Round Rock

2021-12-27 14:12:29 By : Mr. Kim Yang

Home » Departments » Utilities and Environmental Services » Garbage and Recycling » Recycling

We offer a variety of services to make it easy to Recycle Round the Rock!

Other clear, green, blue, or brown jars and bottles

While recycling is the right thing to do, if it isn't done right, it can do more harm than good.

Why Not?! Many recyclables are taken to the landfill when they could have been recycled and served a whole new purpose.

Everything you throw in the trash is taken to the landfill – a hole in the earth that is filled with trash, a burial ground for any and everything dumped in it. It’s the end of the road for many things that could have been reused or recycled into something else, instead they slowly decompose, or rot, into the earth’s soil. Landfills have composite liners; however, they eventually leak and their toxic leachate, or garbage juice, can seep into and contaminate soil and groundwater supplies.

Paper and cardboard come from trees, plastics from oil, metals from rocks (ores), and glass from sand. Recycling means that we don’t have to chop down, extract, or mine to collect more raw materials for making the things we use every day.

Savings from one ton of recycled…

Glass: over a ton of raw materials, 5 gallons of oil, 2 cubic yards of landfill space, and uses 30% less energy.

Recycling conserves our natural resources and uses significantly less energy, which results in less burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas.

Recycling just one glass bottle saves enough energy to light a 100-watt light bulb for four hours!

Two gallons of recycled motor oil can power an average home for one day, cook 48 meals in a microwave oven, blow dry a person’s hair at least 216 times, or power a television for more than seven days straight!

Recycled glass creates 20% less air pollution and 50% less water pollution than glass made from raw materials!

Recycled cardboard creates 35% less water pollution and 74% less air pollution!

Manufacturing recycled material generates less air and water pollution than using raw materials. Recycling reduces emissions of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons, that contribute to global climate change.

It not only costs money to take waste to the landfill but when it could have been recycled (80% of landfill waste) we throw away products that still have a purpose; therefore, they still have value. Furthermore, additional money, resources, and energy are required to extract, manufacture, and transport more raw materials. All the environmental benefits, such as reducing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, have economic value as well.

Recycling makes a big impact; however, you make the most difference by first reducing the amount of waste you generate, then reusing what you have, and lastly recycling what’s left.

When you reduce the amount of waste you generate, less new products have to be made. Making a new product requires a lot of materials and energy – raw materials must be extracted from the earth, and the product must be fabricated then transported to wherever it will be sold. Learn more facts on why you should reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Reusing gives old products new life with little or no energy used for repurposing. Recycling requires less energy than making new products; however, it still requires substantial energy. Learn more facts on why you should reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Recycling creates a closed-loop system where unwanted products go back to manufacturers for use in new products. Much more can be recycled curbside and at the City’s Recycling Center than what is being recycled! 

Just about anything in your home, office, or school that cannot be reused CAN be recycled into something else and used for many years. Today a plastic bottle may contain juice or soda… but what it can become after you use it may surprise you!

Aluminum foil, baking trays, cans, bottle caps and more can be recycled over and over without losing its quality or strength. Aluminum is one of the most recyclable materials on the market today! However, nearly $1 billion worth of aluminum is thrown away every year in the US.

The best way to recycle cardboard is to re-use or re-purpose it. Boxes are great for storage, packing groceries, or arts and crafts activities – endless possibilities for children – magic castles, pretend cars, fortresses, and whatever else their imagination has in store.

Like aluminum, glass can be repeatedly recycled without losing its quality or strength. Glass is one of the longest-lasting man-made materials – great for recycling but not for the landfill. It’s estimated that it takes 1 million years for a glass bottle to decompose in the environment.

Office paper, paperboard, magazines, newspaper, junk mail, and more can be recycled in your green recycling cart. Shredded paper cannot be recycled at the curb, however you can have your confidential documents shredded and recycled during the City’s semi-annual Shred for a Paws Cause.

Milk Jugs & Other Plastic Containers – Bottles and containers used for milk, shampoo, laundry detergent, and household cleaners are lightweight and tough – but they usually are made from a different type of plastic than beverage bottles.

Plastic Bags, Films, and Wraps – Although these are not accepted at the curb – dry-cleaning bags, bread bags, bubble wrap, and wraps from paper towels, bathroom tissue, diapers, and more can be recycled at many grocery and retail stores.

Beverage Bottles – Plastic bottles used for soft drinks, juice, and water are convenient when you’re out and about… but a recycling bin may not be. Resist the temptation to toss it in the trash, there are so many new things it can become!

Plastic Bottle Caps – Even though they’re made with a different type of plastic than the bottles, the caps should be put back on bottles before you toss them in recycling bins.

The following information is provided by the City of Round Rock to assist commercial residents in their recycling efforts. The City of Round Rock assumes no responsibility for the individuals and/or organizations listed and makes no recommendations or approvals.

Wilco Recycling wilcorecycling.com (888) 409-2092

Central Texas Refuse centraltexasrefuse.com (512) 243-2833 or (800) 664-2833

Central Waste and Recycling centralwasteinc.com (512) 267-9290

Texas Disposal Systems texasdisposal.com (800) 375-8375

Progressive Waste Solutions Austin  progressivewaste.com (512) 670-2900

Waste Management / Longhorn Disposal wm.com (800) 800-5804

Fuel Blenders – (512) 365-1920 H&H Waste Oil – (512) 990-1823 Midstate Oil – (866) 387-2171

Lakin Tire West of Colorado 510 E. 51st Ave. Denver, CO 80216 Tel: (800) 488-2752 https://lakintire.com/scrap-tire-collection/

Round Rock Refuse: 512-255-4980 or email; City of Round Rock: 512-218-5554 or email

3400 Sunrise Road Round Rock, Texas 78665 Phone: 512-218-5555 Fax: 512-255-6911

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City of Round Rock 221 East Main Street Round Rock, TX 78664 512-218-5400