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More than 19,000 state employees have started taking out their own trash to nearby recycle bins and receptacles within the office.

The program, called MiniMAX, is designed to save money and increase recycling among state workers. The savings could be enough to save jobs.

"Everybody knows cans and bottles and such, but we put some stuff on the board, not everyone might have been aware of," Texas Nursing Board Executive Director Katherine Thomas said.

With the MiniMAX program, which stands for “minimum waste, maximum recycling,” the Texas Facilities Commission has replaced traditional wastebaskets with smaller cans and bigger recycling containers in all state buildings under the commission's direction.

"Where most agencies would probably just cut staff, we wanted to be creative," Jorge Ramirez, with the Texas Facilities Commission, said.

As the state faces what could be an $18 billion budget shortfall, all state agencies have been asked to make major cuts.

Ramirez said this program will save them about $800,000 a year, and it can continue.

"We're not going to want our money back whenever the economy gets better. This is something that can be sustained if we work hard at it," he said.

The commission was considering switching to only daytime custodians, which they said would save about $500,000 a year, by reducing the use of electricity at night.

"Some of the staff have said they've started recycling more at home because of it," Thomas said.

It's a little extra work around the office some state workers say they don't mind, especially if it means keeping their jobs.

It cost about $150,000 to implement the program.

Buildings like the State Capitol aren't under the control of the Texas Facilities Commission, so Gov. Rick Perry hasn't been asked to take out his own trash yet.