AUSTIN, TEXAS — Austin Resource Recovery (ARR), a department of the City of Austin, announces the launch of the 2020 ‘Give A Great Story’ holiday campaign, encouraging Austinites to rethink shopping and gifting this holiday season by shopping zero waste.

With the holiday season looking different and more distant this year, the City asks residents to rethink how they gift. Instead of buying the newest gadget or toy (which may end up in the landfill), Austinites should consider spending time with friends and family in new ways, learning a new skill online with your loved ones or giving a pre-loved gift this year.

Not only does repair, thrift and experience-gifting bring us closer together, it helps Austin towards its Zero Waste Goal, by reframing the way we buy, use and dispose of everyday items. A 2017 study found that five billion pounds of returned retail gifts ended up in landfills. If Austinites ‘Give A Great Story’ this year, they can help reduce the number of unwanted gifts by offering experiences, purchasing used or thrifted gifts, or by repairing already loved items.

Giving zero waste gifts over newly purchased or produced items also benefits the local economy, keeps valuable items out of the landfill, and avoids spending the energy and resources required to manufacture new products.

Zero waste gift ideas include:

• Purchase an online, skill-development class (cooking, music lessons, painting),
• Support Austin’s art scene virtually (online theatre performances, art galleries/exhibits, concerts),
• Turn a teacup or basket from a local thrift store into a planter,
• Resole and polish a favorite pair of boots.

Austinites can also reduce holiday waste by:

• Reusing materials like newspaper, posters, maps or fabric to wrap gifts,
• Sending e-cards instead of mailing paper holiday cards,
• Using and washing reusable tableware instead of single-use disposable options for holiday meals.

Find more zero waste gift ideas at austintexas.gov/shopzero or follow us on Facebook @AustinRecycles.
 

##

About Austin Resource Recovery

Austin Resource Recovery provides a wide range of services designed to transform waste into resources while keeping our community clean. Services include curbside collection of recycling, trash, yard trimmings and large brush and bulk items; street sweeping; dead animal collection; household hazardous waste disposal and recycling; and outreach and education. Austin Resource Recovery offers free, voluntary, and confidential consulting services to help Austin businesses reduce waste and comply with the City’s recycling ordinances. In December 2011, the Austin City Council approved the Austin Resource Recovery Master Plan, which is the City’s road map to Zero Waste. The City of Austin is committed to reducing the amount of waste sent to area landfills by 90 percent by 2040. Learn more at austinrecycles.com