Join the Austin County Conservation Crew

The public is invited to contribute to the countywide effort to recycle paper and corrugated cardboard. Paper should be separated into two categories: white office paper (without tape or sticky notes), and all other paper which includes newspapers, magazines, and junk mail.  Staples and window envelopes are fine.  The recycling facility, located at 700 West Nichols (the old Bellville landfill), will also accept clean corrugated cardboard that has had excessive tape removed.

Hours

Monday – Friday 8:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M. and on Saturdays 8:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.

Paper Recycling

By separating the white paper from everything else, our vendor will pay a premium price. Because the paper fiber has already been bleached, time, energy, and money are saved in the reprocessing of the pulp.

Corrugated Cardboard Recycling

 Clean boxes only (Please, no pizza boxes)

Remove excessive tape and plastic shipping envelopes

Flatten boxes for easier handling

We cannot accept boxes that are dirty or lined with plastic. 

We cannot accept the thin cardboard, sometimes referred to as chip board or paper board.  Bottle carriers, soda boxes, cereal boxes and tablet backing are examples of this unacceptable material.  We have no outlet for this material and when mixed with the corrugated cardboard, it is considered a contaminant.

 
History of Our Program

 In 2006, Austin County with the support of the City of Bellville, applied for and was awarded a grant from the Houston-Galveston Area Council to start an office paper and corrugated cardboard recycling program.  All County and City facilities will now recycle these materials instead of paying to send them to the landfill, saving taxpayers thousands of dollars.  The City will operate the facility and keep any revenue generated by the sale of the paper and cardboard to offset expenses.  A dual bag collection system is in each office.  The white bags will be for high-grade office paper and the blue bag will hold all mixed paper.  Full bags are delivered to the recycling facility on Nichols Street where they are stored until there is sufficient quantity for a bale.  The grant funding also paid for a baler that will compact the paper and cardboard for transport.  Compacted bales will weigh about 1,400 pounds.