Sponsored Post – from the Austin Earth Day Festival
This series introduces the sponsors of Austin Earth Day Festival in the weeks leading up to our April 23rd event. It’s great to be able to feature these businesses and organizations that are helping to make Austin more sustainable.
Written by Janis Bookout, Outreach Manager for the Austin Earth Day Festival
Standing in the future, looking back, what do you see? Your answer depends on what future you are creating. I am standing in a future in which zero waste is a reality in every city. And looking back at what made that possible, I see Austin leading the way, having met its zero waste goals due to countless individuals having chosen to actively participate in city initiatives–because they were inspired to do so.
On April 23rd, Austin Resource Recovery will announce the winners of its Recycle Games at the Austin Earth Day Festival, and demonstrate just this kind of collective action.
At first blush, compliance with city regulations doesn’t sound all that exciting. It doesn’t make for good daytime TV. But Austin Resource Recovery is changing all that.
You see, the city has done it’s part to put together a phenomenal Zero Waste Plan, but until Austin residents do our part, the plan remains just that — a plan. So compliance? You bet that’s something to get excited about.
It was this kind of thinking that led Austin Resource Recovery to attempt to discover where we actually are on the path to Zero Waste through a Waste Characterization Study. They took the risk to ask the question, “How much are we actually landfilling?”. And they were frustrated to discover that 44 percent of recyclable materials were still going to the landfill.
Scene from the Waste Characterization Study; photo from Austin Resource Recovery
From the June 22, 2015 press release on the Waste Characterization Study:
“44 percent of what is found in the trash stream could have been recycled:
- 23 percent is recyclable paper
- 13 percent is recyclable plastic
- 8 percent is recyclable metal and glass
An estimated 58,000 tons of recyclables are going to the landfill each year. That is enough to fill the UT tower 29 times.”
This 58,000 tons represents 178,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, $4.7 million dollars in value, and thousands of jobs. Rather than be defeated, in the true spirit of partnership, Austin Resource Recovery decided to crowdsource the solution. They surveyed over 1500 people and got over 1300 responses. People said, “make it a game.” As a result, Recycle Games was born.
Recycle Games pits our 10 districts against each other in a competition. Winners are to be announced at Earth Day, 2016. There will be two categories of winners — most recycled and most improved. As of January, projections show District 8 in the lead for most overall recycled (with an average of 136.08 pounds per week), and District 9 for most improved. Winners will receive a beautification project (library or park) in their district.
More importantly, it’s working. From November 30 through December 31, 2015 Austin residents recycled an average of 59 pounds in each blue recycling cart; that is over 11 more pounds per household—a 23 percent increase citywide. Austin’s curbside customers recycled almost 2.1 million pounds more in December!
That’s some serious data right there.
But the commitment to public engagement doesn’t end there. As part of our next steps to zero waste, Austinites are invited to give their input on which to roll out first — weekly recycling or curbside composting. Although early results from the roughly 5,000 surveyed are looking pretty even, Texas Campaign for the Environment says that they have done the research, and curbside composting would have a bigger impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Folks, this is the future–local residents engaging ourselves in the policies and regulations that impact the quality of our lives. Can you dig it? I sure can!
