When people think about Austin, thoughts of real cowboys (and cowgirls), giant longhorns, tasty tacos, life-changing barbeque and amazing live music spring to mind - Ah! Yes, the music! Austin is widely considered the live music capital of the world. It's no wonder more than 400,000 people flock to Austin for festivals such as SXSW — generating over 1.5 million pounds of trash and recycling each year.

How then does Austin transform each night from festiva…