Austin to roll out composting services at multifamily properties

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin will begin requiring multifamily communities to provide residents with access to composting collection services on Oct. 1, city officials announced Tuesday.

Austin Resource Recovery will begin enforcing the new requirement to all owners of multifamily properties such as apartments, condos, non-state dorms, assisted living facilities and nursing homes with five or more units, the release said.

"Multifamily properties need to actively work this year toward complying with the new requirements," the release read in part.

Each landlord or building owner must provide their tenants and employees with access to one gallon capacity of compost collection services for each residential unit. The service must provide weekly collection and accepts items like food scraps, food-soiled paper and BPI-certified compostable products, the release added.

"If needed, properties can request a waiver when they submit their required recycling plan between Oct. 1 and Feb. 1. Waivers are being reviewed on a case-by-case basis and may be approved for properties that show a good faith effort to comply," the release said.

The release cited a community diversion study from 2015 that discovered that 85% of waste from Austin's landfill came from these multifamily units, and 35% of that waste was actually compostable.

"Keeping food scraps and other organic material out of the landfill is important to help Austin reach its zero waste goal,” Austin Resource Recovery Director Richard McHale said in the release.

McHale added Austin is the first Texas city to require these property owners to provide these resources.

Aside from the composting service that will be required Oct. 1, each property owner must also follow multifamily recycling requirements.

To help property owner kick start their compost requirements, the city of Austin is providing a rebate program, dubbed the Zero Waste Business Rebate (ZWBR).

Officials said the ZWBR program is an incentive for these property owners, with a goal to help them improve their waste practices. Each business is eligible for up to $3,000 to help reduce waste beyond the requirements, the release added.

Applications for that program are open through July 1, 2025 and provide property owners with the opportunity to receive items such as compost waste bins and more.

For more tips and resources on this new service requirement visit the city website.