Austin City Limits relies on TDS to drastically improve diversion numbers

October 22, 2017

Download PDF | Watch Video

Austin City Limits (ACL)

I’ve always been impressed with [TDS’] organization of recycling, composting and waste removal at ACL.

— Michael Hartman | CEO of Amy’s Ice Creams (ACL vendor since 2002)

Event Waste Disposal and Site Services Partnership

With more than 450,000 people in attendance over two weekends, Austin City Limits (ACL) attracts massive crowds and results in huge amounts of solid waste to clean up. C3 Presents, the promotion company behind the festival, sought new ways to prevent its waste from going to the landfill, and enlisted Texas Disposal Systems as a partner of the festival. Since 2005, TDS has been providing trash, recycling and composting solutions for the festival, as well as portable restrooms for concert-goers and mulch for Zilker Park in preparation of the festival. TDS also provides training to ACL vendors and food distributors to ensure the most amount of diversion from the landfill.

Drastic Improvement of Waste Diversion

In the years that TDS has been a partner of ACL, significant strides have been made in landfill diversion. TDS built a three-stream disposal system for the festival for solid waste, recycling and compost at every disposal site in Zilker Park. Containers for waste were accompanied by X-frame containers or additional containers to ensure all three waste streams would be accessible for festival goers. The waste was then collected and sorted at the fully integrated facility. With this system, ACL has drastically improved their diversion numbers. With both recycling and composting included, ACL diverted 53% (193.25 tons) of all waste by weight and 72% (5,914 cubic yards) of all waste by cubic yardage in at the 2017 edition of the festival. The progress over the past few years is staggering when compared to diversion rates in 2005, the first year that when TDS first started working with C3 Presents and ACL. In that year, the first year ACL began diversion, the festival diverted only 4% (6.91 tons) of all waste by weight and 6% (280 yards) by cubic yardage. Today, with new strategies and execution by TDS, that number is much different. Thanks to this partnership and the work from TDS, ACL now stands tall as one of the greenest music concert festivals in the country.

Ryan Driskell

Director of Recycling & Organics

Ryan has over 12 years of experience with TDS, having joined the organization in 2013. He has built a strong foundation in data-driven decision making, working in pricing for the hauling division and progressing through roles from analyst to Pricing Manager before transitioning to his current leadership position.

In his current role, Ryan has oversight of three key operations within TDS’s recycling and organics division, the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF),  the Garden-Ville brand composting operation focused on efficient and high-quality organic processing, and the Construction & Demolition (C&D) facility dedicated to diverting recoverable material from the landfill. His approach is rooted in performance metrics and operational insight, using data to identify efficiencies, track throughput, and drive continuous improvement across all three areas.

Ryan’s numbers-driven approach has played a key role in TDS expanding its reach, with notable growth into municipalities such as Dripping Springs, Bastrop, and Smithville, as well as serving major university campuses including UT, UTSA, and Texas State. He is driven by a passion for building safe, efficient systems focused on maximizing the volume of material TDS can responsibly accept and process. 

Ryan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Texas A&M University.

We're offering Hiring Bonuses for Diesel Mechanics in Austin, TX.

Learn More