By: Andy Dawson and Bailey Grimmett
If you haven’t heard, there’s a colorful way to reuse in Austin. The Diverting Resources for Artistic Works program (DRAW) is an Austin Resource Recovery service aimed at reusing and extending the lives of art supplies such as acrylic paints, canvases, brushes and related items. Located at the Recycle & Reuse Drop-off Center (RRDOC), and as an expansion of the center’s ReUse Store, DRAW is a resource aimed at offering barely-used art supplies to local residents in creative need.
The RRDOC collects all kinds…
By: Andy Dawson
Each year, Americans throw away 9.4 million tons of electronics! Much of that waste turns up during, and immediately following, the holiday season. Out with the old, in with the new, right?
Electronics don’t seem to last long these days, especially when a new phone with a better camera and newer technology is released every six months. The EPA estimates that…
By Valerie Vines
Austin City Limits (ACL), the international music festival held at Zilker Park each October, does things big. Big-name headliners, crowds, stages and, potentially, a lot of waste. But thanks to efforts between festival planners and community partners, ACL is becoming a more sustainable event. Last year, ACL teamed up with Austin Materi…
By: Ashley Pace
Most store-bought Halloween costumes cost $20-$60 per person and are made of cheap polyester materials that are thrown away after a single wear. Instead of going for the quick grab at the party store, consider these eek-o-friendly alternatives to save some green and give those costumes a second life.
- Host a costume swap: Whether in person or online, encourage your friends, family and neighbors to share their previ…
By: Andy Dawson
Many people deep fry turkeys during the holiday season, leaving behind a lot of used cooking oil. But, what do you do with it afterwards? It can actually be dropped off for recycling!
The City of Austin’s Recycle & Reuse Drop-off Center (RRDOC) collects more than 12,000 pounds of cooking oil and grease annually, as part of its house…
By: Jennifer Denton
The Curbside Composting program can change the way we think about household “waste.”
Composted material is like gold, and we want to help you find more of it.
Confusion about what goes in the green composting cart is “natural.” Just remember, “If it grows, it goes,” meaning any material that began its life as an organic substance can go in the composting cart. Yard waste makes up the bulk of the materials collected, but don’t forget about your food scraps. Yes, even those moldy leftovers in the back corner of your refriger…
By: Ashley Pace
It’s a busy time of year for everyone, especially those in the resource recovery industry. The increase in traffic on the road and unwanted items in the bins often leads to an increase in injuries to our workers. This holiday season, Austin Resource Recovery asks you to help keep our operators in mind to ensure everyone has a safe and happy holiday.
Slow Down to Get Around
According to the National Waste and Recycling Association (NWRA), solid waste collection employees in the United Sta…
Did you know?
Selling 100 vinyl records provides bands as much income as 500,000 Spotify plays or 2.5 million YouTube views, according to Caren Kelleher, founder and owner of Gold Rush Vinyl, a vinyl record manufacturer in Austin, Texas.
Caren Kelleher was frequently frustrated ordering vinyl records for the bands she managed a few years ago in California. It took up to seven months to fill an order and, even then, the record quality was unreliable.
Like any true entrepreneur, Kelleher set out in search of a quicker, more reliable solution. In 2018, she founded …
By: Bailey Grimmett
Once the holiday hustle and bustle slows down and the presents have been unwrapped, you’re somehow left with a mountain of excess materials such as cardboard boxes, wrapping paper, ribbon and bows, Styrofoam and other packaging materials. You’re not alone! In fact, the amount of trash produced in the United States increases an estimated 25 percent between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day! But, did you know tha…
By: Susanne Harm
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Today’s backyard chickens are pampered pets… especially when compared to my Grandma’s hens. My Gram raised chickens out of necessity to feed her family. Raising chickens was about not going hungry. Gram’s chickens did not have names. My hens, a.k.a. The First Ladies, do. In a relatively short time, America has gone from chickens as sustenance to chickens as feathered, backyard pets with benefits (eggs, insect control and free fertilizer). But where did the original idea of having hens in our backyards come from? Recently, a coworker gave me this … |