Cedar Park & glass/bottle recycling (Austin, Leander: shop, deal, area)

[neversleep01]

It's great that we're motivated enough to drive somewhere to dispose of our recycle, but think of the majority of cedar park residents who aren't. How can we take action to change CP's garbage system?

[dane's momma]

Does anyone know if Leander is still recycling glass? The recycling folks have left things before that I guess couldn't be recycled, but they keep taking my glass. I just can't imagine that Leander would still recycle glass if Cedar Park isn't?

thanks!

[G Grasshopper]

How can Austin be considered a progressive/green area when the city doesn't even conduct recycling? Why don't the citizens make a big stink about this? I can't imagine people building green houses (certified by the city as being green), then thowing all their glass, plastic bottles, paper, cans, etc. in the trash!

[HeatheredBlues]

I stumbled onto this thread while doing a search for where to recycle my boxboard (paperboard, fiberboard, whatchamacallit) and cardboard...

In response to G Grasshopper, I think Austin has a decent recycling service and options for the residents proper. It's us outlying folks that have to really search for options.

I live in Cedar Park and last year my waste services stopped taking glass which infuriated me like the other posters here. I now take my glass to the 1431 transfer station that is linked earlier in this thread.

I take all my paper/junk mail to my church and my school Abitibi bins - those yellow and green bins you see everywhere.
My curbside service takes my plastic #1&2, alum. cans, and steel food cans.
I take any plastic bags to any grocery store (working on getting enough reusable bags).

The problem I have is finding where to recycle paperboard/cardboard...

A previous suggestion was to take it to the Round Rock center on Deepwood, but I thought it was for residents only? If someone could clarify that, it would be appreciated!

In addition, a major gripe of mine right now is the disposal of HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE!! Round Rock has done a good job of organizing a monthly collection, but you must be a resident and show proof of RR utilities.

For Cedar Park, Leander, and surrounding communities there is no convenient option. I have been in contact with TCEQ and City of Cedar Park and Williamson County. I have been told there will be an area wide collection on May 31st in the ACC Cypress Creek campus parking lot. That is great...but it is done on a grant basis (disposal and recycling of hazardous waste costs a fortune...often way more than it costs to manufacture the product). It is also only done once a year if the grant is given. I have also heard that the line last year was very long and many were turned away at closing.

Has anyone heard of any other options for household hazardous waste or has anyone participated in the collection that was held last year? I would appreciate any info you might have uncovered!

[ParisBurns]

Originally Posted by HeatheredBlues

The problem I have is finding where to recycle paperboard/cardboard...

A previous suggestion was to take it to the Round Rock center on Deepwood, but I thought it was for residents only? If someone could clarify that, it would be appreciated!

The Round Rock recycling center on Deepwood does not have residency requirements for dropping off normal products for recycling (cans, paper, fiberboard, cardboard, plastic, etc.). In the ten years I have been taking recycling there the only time I have had to show proof of residency is when taking old paint on Household Hazardous Waste Day.

[Trainwreck20]

I have, ahem, heard rumors of people giving their haz waste to their friends in Austin to drop off at the haz mat center down off of Ben White .

[HeatheredBlues]

Excellent - thanks ParisBurns - I will begin taking all my fiberboard/cardboard to Deepwood Dr.

And I will see if any Austin friends would like to...cough, cough... "borrow" my old paint can. Thanks Trainwreck.

[xsloane]

Originally Posted by southdown

1431 Transfer Station Recycling Center | Ecology Action of Texas

Cedar Park


Cedar Park (1431 Transfer Station):

• 2665 Whitestone Blvd, Cedar Park (NOTE: Don't look for a road sign as this is a tiny dirt road on your right as you head west
  on 1431. Look for the Transfer Station set back from the main road)
• From 183 and 1431:
  Go west 2.5 miles and it will be on your right, behind some trees. If you see HUR Industrial or the Driving Range or the Cartwright Bar-B-Que restaurant, you went too far (sigh).
• From Lakeline and 1431:
  Go west 1.1 miles and it will be on your right, behind some trees.
• From Jonestown:
  Go 3.4 miles taking Nameless Rd. east then left on 1431. It is on your left, behind some trees. If you see a self storage business off to your right, you went too far.

I was doing my "green" duty and gathering glass instead of putting it in the garbage, then went to try to find the station in Cedar Park but was never able to between time and ga$ spent I decided it was not worth the effort... but at least I tried.

[jclAustin]

I think the problem with hazardous materials is that they are expensive to dispose of. Austin had a collection day last month and the lines were very long. I heard that they have to get grants and fund raise to get the money to do it and this year they may not have enough to handle all the waste that was collected.

Usually recycling of aluminum, which is profitable, is used to offset the costs of recycling other materials that are not profitable, but I imagine this only goes so far. At least that was how we did it back when I was in college and started a recycling program.

[macslayer]

Hello,I just moved to Cedar Park in Sept 08 and was very disappointed when I figured out the very limited recycling that the contracted company is doing. What can residents do about this ?

Very disappointed,Bob

=============================================
http://www.rrwastesolutions.com/news/press/02272008.php

Recycling -- Why Not Glass?February 27, 2008 – Cedar Park – RR Waste Solutions would like to address the concerns expressed by many of our Cedar Park customers regarding our "no glass" recycling policy.RR Waste Solutions contracted with a local recycle facility to process the recyclable materials collected from the residents of Cedar Park. The recycle facility advised our company that glass does not currently have a viable recycling market in this geographic area. If glass was collected and it broke it would contaminate the entire truck load. The entire truck load of recyclables could be rejected and end up in the landfill. PLEASE PLACE ALL GLASS IN YOUR REGULAR TRASH CONTAINER. (In order to counterbalance this change in the recycling, cardboard has been added to the list of accepted recyclable materials.)RR Waste Solutions and the City of Cedar Park are working together to find an alternative solution for recycling glass. The residents of Cedar Park will be notified immediately when glass becomes a recyclable commodity in this region.

We appreciate your continuing support of the recycling program.If you have any additional concerns, you may contact us toll-free at 1-877-733-7483, via our website
RR Waste Solutions -- Residential, Commercial, and Industrial Waste Collection
and Management or via email at cedarpark@redriverservice.com.Sinc

Sincerely,
James A. Smith
President