RECYCLING CENTER UPDATE & RECYCLING ON THE ROAD

VERY IMPORTANT!

UPDATE ON AUSTIN’S RECYLING CENTER!

On a recent trip to the Recycle & Reuse Drop-Off Center, I discovered that you have to deposit your hazardous materials at one drive-through drop-off point, leave the facility, re-enter, and take your electronics to another drive-through area.

This is a problem if you are there on a Saturday when there are many cars waiting in line to get in. This discourages the citizens of Austin from using the Recycle & Reuse Drop-Off Center.

GOOD NEWS!

The Recycle & Reuse Drop-Off Center has just made a change in their procedure for Saturday. On Saturdays, you can now drop off hazardous materials AND small electronics in the hazardous waste drop-off location so that you don’t have to leave and re-enter the center. You still have to leave and re-enter the center to drop off large electronics like TV’s.

Kudos to the staff at the Recycle & Reuse Drop-Off Center for listening to my concerns and coming up with a solution. Here is the link to their website https://www.austintexas.gov/dropoff.

RECYCLING ON THE ROAD

On a recent road trip, it became very apparent to me that recycling collection bins are often non-existent. Many gas stations (where we clean the trash out of our car when we stop for gas) don’t have recycling collection bins.  In addition, there is no recycling collection at any of the State rest or picnic areas in Texas.

What to do??

As we were having lunch at a rest stop near Abilene, I looked at our aluminum drink cans, looked at the trashcan, and had to make a decision - throw them away or hang on to them for the week we would be traveling. I knew these cans wouldn’t be going into my landfill, but I just couldn’t throw them into another community’s garbage dump.

So, a decision was made. We set up a recycling collection bag in the car and a box in the cabin we rented.  At the end of our trip, we brought a week's worth of recyclables back to Austin and put them into our single stream recycling bin.

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO POST TO THIS BLOG ANY RECYCLING QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.  I WILL RESEARCH YOUR QUESTIONS AND POST THE ANSWERS.

THE BEST RECYCLING IS REGIVING!

I just heard about a neighbor who needed a wheelchair for a friend with ALS.  I suggested she call AGE of Central Texas. Within a few hours, she had a free wheelchair for her friend.  As I was telling her about this fabulous organization, I remembered that I had a cane I wanted to donate, so I took it to AGE of Central Texas.  It made me realize that more people need to know about the health equipment lending services provided by this organization and how people can donate to this very worthy cause. AGE of Central Texas truly makes your RECYCLING a way of REGIVING.

AGE of Central Texas < http://www.ageofcentraltx.org/> is located in central Austin at 3710 Cedar St.  Their Health Equipment Lending program lends all kinds of equipment to seniors and persons with disabilities, free of charge. To donate, please call 512-600-9288.  You can learn more on their website about what they need and even how to borrow equipment.

OTHER WAYS TO REGIVE

REGIVE YOUR VINYL RECORDS.  What to do with 100 45 RPM records of folk dance music and over 100 vinyl LP’s?  I took my 45 records to the Creative Use and Recycling Center.  They are a non-profit organization that will sell these for crafting projects.  Please visit their website for more information <http://austincreativereuse.org/ >.  I donated my LP records to Recycled Reads http://library.austintexas.gov/recycled-reads.  This wonderful store will sell my records to earn money to support the Austin Public Library.

REGIVE OLD CELL PHONES – There is a program that gives soldiers and vets cell phones.  It is called Helping Heroes Home. More info can be found at  https://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/about-us/helping-heroes-home/

The Pak Mail store on Windsor Road will mail donated cell phones to Cell Phones for Soldiers.  All Pak Mail stores will accept these phones and take them to the Windsor Road store.

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO POST TO THIS BLOG ANY RECYCLING QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.  I WILL RESEARCH YOUR QUESTIONS AND POST THE ANSWERS.

The Early Days of Recycling

In the early 80’s, before there was curbside recycling, there was a plant that paid for paper brought in to be recycled. SO, I HAD AN IDEA!!

I began a neighborhood paper collection project and called it Lettuce Recycle (sound familiar?). Several of my neighbors and I began saving our paper, agreeing that one of us would drive the paper to this plant once a month.  We were so excited because we would be paid money for all of the paper we were going collect and could then have a BIG neighborhood party.

I was the first to make the trip.  After filling up my Toyota van, I happily drove to collect our wealth AND save the planet, all at the same time.

The van was weighed before and after the paper was unloaded. I was then handed $1.30.  Well, at least we did our best to save the planet – so much for a big neighborhood party!

Fortunately, curbside single stream recycling in Austin has made recycling so much easier. However, citywide participation is still not what it could be. Therefore, I researched what other cities do to encourage recycling and found some very interesting incentives.

Some U.S. cities are partnering with New York-based Recycle Bank to give people points based on how much they recycle.  Recycling bins in those cities have special computer chips that measure volume.  This volume translates into points that can be redeemed at local stores in the form of gift cards.

Other cities charge people who don’t recycle or don’t recycle properly.  In some cities, trash is weighed and people are assessed a monthly utility charge based on how much trash is sent to the landfill. In other cities, “green police” drive around and check recycling bins and assess a fine if the items in the bin are not recyclable.

All of the above programs cost money. Computer chips in recycling bins have to be manufactured, installed and maintained.  The gift card program is costly and has to be managed. “Green police” have to be paid and the fines have to be collected.

WOULDN’T IT BE GREAT IF PEOPLE RECYCLED JUST BECAUSE IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO?

There are many reasons people don’t recycle.  I write this blog and pen a monthly article in my neighborhood newsletter to help educate people on how and what to recycle. Stay tuned to my next blog post – Why People Don’t Recycle.

SIMPLE RECYCLING UPDATE

The Austin City Council voted unanimously on February 2 to continue the Simple Recycling contract.   Simple Recycling and the City of Austin encourage everyone to donate first to their favorite charity and then, rather than throw unwanted items into the trash, put them into the green Simple Recycling bags for curbside collection. As of February 17, 2017, Simple Recycling has collected 265,000 pounds from 12,000 Austin Residents. 

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO POST TO THIS BLOG ANY RECYCLING QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.  I WILL RESEARCH YOUR QUESTIONS AND POST THE ANSWERS.

SIMPLE RECYCLING SERVICE IN DANGER!

    I was so happy when Simple Recycling came to Austin. I had heard about them from friends in the Houston area who loved this curbside pick-up and recycling service. Since they started in Austin, Simple Recycling has diverted over 200,000 pounds of textiles from the landfill. Over 6800 Austin residents have participated so far.
    Now, on the January 26 Austin City Council meeting agenda, item #42 proposes to cancel the 3-year Simple Recycling contract immediately. The reason is that Goodwill and several other charitable organizations "BELIEVE" that their donations have been negatively impacted by this curbside service. These organizations have no data to prove this at this time.
    I believe we need many ways to help reach Zero Waste by 2040 and Simple Recycling offers one of these ways. They take items that most people just throw into their trash bins - that single tennis shoe, torn t-shirt, ratty towels, and torn underwear. No charity store can sell these items, so now with Simple Recycling, they do not go to the landfill.
    I still donate to my favorite charity, as do most of my friends and neighbors. Simple Recycling has not taken that choice away from me. Now these charitable organizations are trying to take my recycling choice away.
    There should always be discussion about this issue, but while these discussions are taking place, Simple Recycling should be allowed to continue its curbside service.
    This vote will happen tomorrow. If you feel strongly about simple Recycling continuing in Austin, please contact your City Council representative today. You can send one email to all City Council members at this address: <https://austintexas.gov/email/all-council-members>.

PLEASE HELP KEEP THAT T-SHIRT OUT OF THE TRASH CAN!

BULK COLLECTION ALERT

I love Bulk Collection week in our neighborhood.  It is a wonderful form of recycling – set out what you no longer want and others take it for their reuse or to sell. Whatever is left over, the City of Austin picks up and ALL OF THAT GOES INTO THE LANDFILL.

I never thought about the leftovers going into the landfill.  Rarely do I have anything left for the City to pick up.  I started thinking about this when my portable electric heater broke.  I was excited because Bulk Collection is next week.  Then I wondered what would happen to my broken electric heater.

If I leave it out for the City, it goes to the landfill OR I can take it to the Reuse and Recycling Drop Off Center where the components (electric, plastic and metal) will be recycled.

Clearly, I need to rethink what I put out for Bulk Collection.  From now on, I will take anything that is broken and can be recycled to the Reuse and Recycling Drop Off Center.  For example, broken appliances and broken lawn furniture probably have no appeal to people scouring the neighborhood, but are recycled when taken to the Reuse and Recycling Drop Off Center.

Before the City truck comes by, I will re-evaluate anything that I have set out to see if there is some alternative other than the landfill.

That is my plan.  Do you have any suggestions or comments?  If so, feel free to post on this blog.

If you have any other recycling questions please post them.  I will happily research the answer and post it.