Solid Waste & Recycling

Efficient, Route-Based Hauling for Campus Waste

Solid Waste and Recycling (SWR) is a structured, route-based operational team. Our purpose is focused on the removal and transport of campus waste materials, which includes landfill, recycling and compost.

Milton Roberson Jr. (left), SWR team lead, and Tim Williams, an SWR worker, stand under the Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium’s north loading docks, preparing for the next load of trash after a home football game. SWR crews work post-game Saturday and return on Sunday to complete the removal of all waste. — Milton Roberson Jr., SWR team lead, secures the door on a box truck used to retrieve 1.5-yard dumpsters from a special campus event. Tim Williams, an SWR worker, operates the lift gate while SWR workers Lawrence Clark and Richard Hernandez return dumpsters to the storage yard for future use. An empty 1.5-yard dumpster weighs 300 pounds.

Read our Values at Work Series story: Solid Waste and Recycling Team Keeps UT Running Before the Rest of Campus Wakes Up.

Contact Us

Email Solid Waste

UT Works Request

Damon Moseley, an SWR driver, unloads a golf cart full of trash into the back of an SWR refuse truck on Sunday morning during the stadium clean-out. — *Damon Moseley, an SWR driver, unloads a golf cart full of trash into the back of an SWR refuse truck on Sunday morning following a home football game.*

What We Do

SWR services designated outdoor waste collection areas across campus. We haul landfill, recycling, and approved compost materials to disposal facilities.

How It Works

Waste collection and transport on campus is a shared effort, with clearly defined roles and responsibilities:

Custodial Services: Handles all in-building waste collection and transport to the appropriate outdoor collection area, sorted by landfill, recycling, and compost.
SWR: Collects from designated outdoor collection areas and hauls materials away.

Service Hours

Monday through Friday, 4:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Compost collection is on Tuesdays and Fridays.

SWR Terms and Conditions

COMING SOON

What Does NOT Go in the Trash?

Some materials should not be placed in the waste bins. Help us protect our staff and equipment by disposing of these materials properly in the designated locations. Visit Environmental Health and Safety’s Waste Management webpage for proper disposal guidance for hazardous or regulated materials.

For information about where an item should go, visit our recycling, specialty recycling, compost, or surplus property pages. Or you may contact the Facilities Services Center at 512-471-2020 or facilities@austin.utexas.edu.

*Quincy Styles, an SWR worker, rides on a trash truck heading under DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium after a home football game.*

Additional Services

We operate with the same practical rules and limitations you would expect from a municipal or contracted hauler, but because UT has its own SWR unit, we can also support campus events and special operational needs. For example, SWR can deliver, service, and remove extra dumpsters for campus events and projects. Below is a full list of our additional services.

Event waste support (setup, removal, special pickups).
Temporary dumpsters for projects or renovations.
Overflow recovery for unexpected volume surges.
After-hours service for urgent or special needs.
Request additional services by submitting a UT Works request.

Requesting a Roll-Off Dumpster

If a roll-off dumpster is needed for an event or project, submit a UT Works request. Before a roll-off is arranged, the requester should be asked to provide the following information:

Waste stream (landfill trash, recycling, metal, or compost)
Size needed (20, 30, or 40 yards)
Whether TDS has 24/7 access
Gate code (if applicable)
Placement map or photo
Point of contact (POC)
Whether the driver needs to call before delivery/service
Whether an estimate is needed*
Requested delivery date

*If the estimate is approved, the department will then need to submit a UT Works request with an account number.