How the Household Recycling Program Works

In the Austin, Dallas and Fort Worth Areas:

First: A postcard will be mailed to you letting you know the date when a truck is scheduled to be in your neighborhood to pick-up your gently used tax-deductible donations. Simply leave your donation in front of your residence where the driver can see your donation from the street and we will pick them up.
IMPORTANT: Donations placed behind bushes, shrubs, trees, etc. blocking the view of the drivers may not be picked up.

Second: Our drivers will take your donations to the local Thrift Town store, where they are unloaded onto 'carts.' Thrift Town, a for-profit business, purchases the items for its six Texas stores from The Arc of Texas at a contracted 'per cart' price. The funds we receive from the sale of these carts enable us to provide much needed programs and services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Through the cart purchase price, The Arc of Texas is always guaranteed the majority of profits. Since the inception of the household recycling program, we have generated more than $20 million! Plus, the local chapters of The Arc that have a household recycling program in their communities also receive a portion of these funds!

Third: The Thrift Town crew sorts, prices, and places merchandise on the retail floor for sale. By making the clothing items available for reuse, Thrift Town responsibly recycles household items that might otherwise end up in landfills. Any clothing items not suitable for domestic retail sale are sold to rag brokers, who sell them in other parts of the world or use them to make rags. ( The Arc of Texas also shares in the profits from rag sales.) You can rest assured that every item you donate to The Arc of Texas Household Recycling Program is serving three worthwhile purposes:

1. Generating funds that provide services to people with disabilities and their families,
2. Preserving precious landfill space, and
3. Providing families with an alternative to shopping in expensive department stores.

In the San Antonio Area:

First: You will be contacted by a staff member of The Arc of Texas and asked if you have used household items you would like to donate to the program. We will let you know when a truck is scheduled to be in your neighborhood to pick up your tax-deductible donation. Simply leave the items in front of your residence and we will pick them up. You don't even have to be home! We'll send you a postcard and/or give you a friendly phone call to remind you of your scheduled pick-up date.

Second: same as Austin, Dallas, and Fort Worth (see above)

Third: same as Austin, Dallas, and Fort Worth (see above)