Wider Recycling Rules for Austin Apartments Considered 

The City of Austin might require more multifamily housing communities and office buildings to recycle, but some apartment and business owners say they are worried about the cost and practicality of doing so. Currently, the city requires apartment and condo communities with 100 or more units and offices and commercial properties with 100 or more employees to have recycling containers on site and pay private haulers to pick them up. The city currently provides bins and picks up recyclables only from single-family residences, duplex and four-plex homes and some small businesses. Austin-based attorney Rick Cofer says the city will have to broaden its 11-year-old rules to meet its recently adopted "zero waste" goal of diverting 90 percent of trash from landfills by 2040. Cofer is spearheading a City Council-appointed committee that has been tasked with recommending changes to Austin's recycling rules for apartments, condos and businesses by the beginning of 2010. Cofer states, "We want to make sure everyone in Austin has the opportunity to recycle, regardless of where they work or live." Currently, apartment communities with at least 100 units must recycle four types of items. Committee members are thinking about requiring smaller apartment communities and businesses, such as small restaurants and bars, to recycle.

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