Man runs Austin recycling business solo

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Earth Day is this weekend, and when it comes to recycling, Austin is one of the top cities in the nation.

However, the city's Solid Waste Services does not offer some recycling services to businesses, which has led one Austinite to start a new business to fill a niche.

"I started talking to more business owners who were saying that the city didn't provide recycling services, and I figured I could easily do it," said Bob McGivney, owner of Wandering River Recycling.

During his free time from his regular job at KUT, McGivney started Wandering River Recycling. Two days a week, he goes around to about 10 restaurants and businesses to pick up their recyclables.

"About 1,200 pounds of glass a week we're offsetting from the landfill just in one restaurant," said McGivney.

There is nothing fancy about his one-man operation. He builds the containers to hold the cardboard and loads it onto a trailer hitched to his SUV.

"We take all the recycling to Ecology Action, and Ecology Action is able to make a little bit of money off of those materials," said McGivney.

On one particular day, McGivney took 500 pounds of cardboard to Ecology Action, and while this job isn't going to make him rich, he feels rich by doing something good for the environment.

"I just thought it was important to provide an affordable solution to people who want to recycle, and there are a lot of people in Austin interested in recycling," said McGivney.

To learn more about Wandering River Recycling, click here.

Austin's Solid Waste Services offers the Waste Smart Program, where an expert analyzes a business' waste stream. If a business owner is interested in that free service, they can call (512) 974-9727 or visit online.