Trash, Recycling, and Compost

Mesa Village trash, recycling, and compost collection services are covered as part of our HOA dues.

• Trash is collected every Tuesday and Friday

• Recycling is collected every Tuesday

• Compost is collected every Wednesday

THE COLLECTORS WILL NOT PICK UP ANYTHING THAT IS SITTING BESIDE THE DUMPSTERS. Please take good-condition items like furniture, decor, and toys to Goodwill or another local donations hub.

Consult the City of Austin's "What Do I Do With?" tool if you are unsure about whether to compost, recycle, or trash any type of item: https://www.austintexas.gov/whatdo 

RECYCLING GUIDELINES

What Can Go in the Recycling Dumpster?

• Clean paper and cardboard

• Tetrapaks (milk cartons, boxed soups)

• Aluminum and tin cans

• Clean aluminum foil - must be crumpled into a ball 2" or larger

• Glass bottles and jars

• Hard plastics - bottles, jugs, yogurt cups, food clamshells, etc

  • Anything with recycling 1 through 7 ♳♴♵♶♷♸

✷ BREAK DOWN YOUR BOXES. The recycling dumpsters fill up quickly when residents do not break down their boxes.

✷ RINSE CANS, BOTTLES & CARTONS until they are "reasonably clean". Leave the lids on (including plastic or metal lids on glass jars) - otherwise, they are too small and will be filtered out by the sorting machines. No need to remove paper labels. Do not crush cans.

What Should Stay Out?

• Food-soiled paper and cardboard → place in compost bins

• Plastic Utensils → too small for the recycling machinery; place in trash

• Styrofoam → take to the Austin Recycle & Reuse Drop-Off Center

• Plastic bags, bubble wrap, and other filmy plastics → can be taken to collection points at Randall's, HEB, or other grocery stores or Recycle & Reuse

• Shredded paper → place in compost bins

• Batteries, Lightbulbs, Electronics → take to the Austin Recycle & Reuse Drop-Off Center

✷ DO NOT BAG YOUR RECYCLING. The City of Austin's Recycling Center will remove bagged recycling from their processing line and divert it to landfill. They do not un-bag your recyclables. Filmy plastics like trash bags, grocery store bags, dry cleaning bags, and bubble wrap get tangled in the processing machines. You can take these types of plastic to most grocery stores for recycling by a specialized processor.

COMPOST GUIDELINES

What Can Go in the Compost Bin?

• Food scraps (fruits, vegetables, grains, etc.)

• Coffee grounds and paper coffee filters

• Paper napkins, plates (uncoated), and food-soiled paper (including pizza boxes)

• Certified compostable bags and serviceware ("BPI Compostable")

• If it grows, it goes!

What Should Stay Out?

• Plastic bags

• Trash

• Plastic, metal, or glass → place in recycling dumpsters

• Non-compostable packaging

• Items labeled "biodegradable" or "ecofriendly" instead of "BPI compostable"

  
  

✷ Most "compostable plastic" straws, cups, and forks/spoons/knives from local restaurants are NOT compostable by the City of Austin.

Compostable Bags & Serviceware: Compostable bags & serviceware are often available at local grocery stores. Products simply labeled "eco-friendly" or "biodegradable" are typically not compostable and will be rejected as contamination. Review the "Compostable Plastics" document at this link for more information.

Collecting Compostables Inside: A coffee can, food storage container or any other reusable container can be used as a mini compost collector in your kitchen. Collect food scraps in this container to easily set aside material for the green composting cart. Here is a link to a certified compostable bag that fits a standard 2 gallon bucket. You might also find compostable bags for sale at Costco, H-E-B, Natural Grocers, Sam's Club, Sprouts, Target, Wal-Mart or Wheatsville - be sure to look for the certification "BPI Compostable".

Want to learn more about composting? Click here for our composting partner's bilingual educational library with a wealth of information on composting & other waste diversion tips.

ILLEGAL DUMPING & CONTAMINATION

Compost Contamination Policy: If items from the "What Should Stay Out" list are noticed while the collection driver is on-site, the compost hauler will reject the bin, and Mesa Village will be fined.

Any dumping of waste beside the dumpsters done by residents or owners (including contractors working on remodeling or repair projects) will result in a $100 fine. Construction waste does not belong in the Mesa Village dumpsters.

The trash, recycling, and compost dumpsters are for Mesa Village use only. If you see someone you know does not live at Mesa Village illegally dumping, please contact gsviesa@pmt-austin.com, johnpmt@aol.com or mesavillageboard@gmail.com.