The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will bestow $4 million to the city of Austin to construct and maintain a new reuse warehouse thanks, in part, to the efforts of U.S. Reps. Greg Casar and Lloyd Doggett. The Solid Waste Infrastructure Grant will allow the city to build a space for redistributing used furniture and building materials, among other things, as part of a larger effort to improve recycling in Austin. “Right now, far too many materials are wasted when they could be recycled and reused by people in need. Improved recycling not only lets these items have a second life – but they’ll be a lifeline to struggling Austinites,” Casar said in a statement to the press. “I’m grateful for the Biden Administration supporting this creative way of reducing waste while helping people get back on their feet.” The new warehouse will, according to a press release, “accept and redistribute used furniture at no cost to nonprofits and their clients, with a focus on furnishing the homes of those transitioning out of homelessness,” and will eventually expand to include building materials, reducing the waste sent to landfills.
Elizabeth Pagano is the editor of the Austin Monitor. More by Elizabeth Pagano