Balcones Recycling

We started as a recycling company. It seems like an obvious statement, but it is what separates us from our competition. We were not founded as a side business to compliment garbage hauling. We subsist purely on our ability to recover resources and divert them from the landfill. Kerry and Becky Getter founded Balcones Resources in 1994 in Austin, Texas. In the mid-'90s the only commodity being actively recycled in a commercial setting was white paper, and the Balcones team saw the need to change the way Texas recycled. "We had an opportunity to make an impact both environmentally and economically," remarked Kerry. Balcones introduced the Anything that Tears™ program, which simplified office recycling and allowed property managers to quickly quantify their efforts through monthly environmental reports and a reduction of costs related to landfill hauling fees. Kerry remembers, "It was a challenge at first because we really had to get into the trenches and educate everyone involved in an organization. The janitorial crews were very important because we needed to move the material efficiently and effectively throughout the buildings, and their buy-in was crucial to the success of the program. Education became a necessary component, and we started to see the fruits of our labor in the form of increased participation and a reduction in waste from the different locations we serviced." Fast-forward 18 years, and we have facilities in Austin, Dallas and Little Rock and have grown to become one of the top 50 recyclers in North America. We service approximately 75% of Austin's Class A office buildings and 80% of the Class A buildings in downtown Dallas. In addition to multi-tenant facilities, Balcones is also the chosen recycling partner for several corporate campuses, manufacturing facilities and distribution centers with major customers such as the University of Texas at Austin, the Capitol Complex, Seton Hospital System, Pepsico, JCPenney and the Clinton Library, just to name a few. Our new state-of-the-art facility in Austin is a testament to our innovation. The $25 million facility has the ability to process 25 tons per hour. It is equipped with technology that increases our efficiency and allows us to handle new materials. Staying true to our green roots, the facility has several environmentally friendly features including passive lighting, electric car charging station and solar panels. Kerry concludes, "We started as paper recyclers, but we've transformed into a full service environmental company that works with our customers to reach zero waste goals, streamline waste, educate employees, achieve LEED® certification, or simply take the first step towards a new recycling program."