Tag Archives: Austin Resource Recovery
Citywide compost pickup may be on the way
The blue recycling bin that many Austinites leave on their curbs may soon have a counterpart – a green organics collection bin. While a citywide compost pickup program boasts obvious environmental benefits, it would come at a cost to taxpayers,…
Resources • By Tyler Whitson • Aug 26, 2015
Austin water bills going up, electric bills decreasing
Residential customers of the Austin Water utility are projected to pay $4.94 more per month in Fiscal Year 2016 than they are paying this year, but the same customers should see a decrease of $2.22 in their monthly Austin Energy…
Budget • By Jo Clifton • Jul 31, 2015
City announces recycling-education campaign
Austin residents are sending a lot of recyclables to landfills, and city staff hopes to help change that with a new educational campaign. Austin Resource Recovery Department Director Bob Gedert made the announcement at a press conference on Monday. “The…
Resources • By Tyler Whitson • Jun 23, 2015
Commission wants hazard pay for Resource Recovery employees
Municipal waste management is an essential job, but it comes with its fair share of risks. With that in mind, the Zero Waste Advisory Commission asked Austin Resource Recovery Department management Wednesday to study and consider ways to improve safety…
Austin • By Tyler Whitson • Jun 16, 2015
Open-space recycling a challenge to city, says staff
Austin’s recycling requirements are ambitious, but they don’t cover one major area — open spaces. Now, the city is taking steps to make up for it. The Austin Resource Recovery Department recently performed an assessment on Parks and Recreation Department…
Parks • By Tyler Whitson • Jun 15, 2015
Plastic bag ban working to an extent, says report
Austin’s single-use bag ordinance is helping residents reduce overall consumption by about 197 million single-use bags per year, but it has had unintended consequences including an increase in the number of thicker reusable bags in the recycling stream. That’s according…
Environment • By Tyler Whitson • Jun 12, 2015
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Almost half of Austin curbside trash recyclable
Despite the city’s ambitious goal to achieve zero waste by 2040, many Austin residents are sending items to landfills that they could be putting into the city’s blue recycling bins. Austin Resource Recovery Department Director Robert Gedert told members of…
Environment • By Tyler Whitson • May 18, 2015
City orders study on bag ban that state may toss
Amid concerns that state leadership will take steps to limit city ordinances such as Austin’s plastic bag ban, the Zero Waste Advisory Commission has instructed city staff to study the ban in time to send the results to the state…
City Hall • By Tyler Whitson • Jan 16, 2015
Plan for local recycled product market advances
Austin’s processed recyclable materials are often shipped overseas to be remanufactured into new products, but a plan by the Austin Resource Recovery Department to convert a plot of land into an eco-industrial park called the Austin (re) Manufacturing Hub could…
Austin • By Tyler Whitson • Dec 4, 2014
Materials Marketplace boosts Zero Waste plan
City officials are touting a new initiative they say will move Austin toward its Zero Waste goals while helping businesses along the way. The Austin Materials Marketplace is a business-to-business material reuse program. Basically, the initiative created an online database…
Environment • By Gene Davis • Sep 8, 2014
Council postpones action on hauler ordinance
Following complaints from stakeholders, City Council voted on Thursday to postpone action on a measure known as the “hauler ordinance,” which would amend city code regarding the private solid waste collection program. It also postponed action on amendments to administrative…
Local Politics • By Tyler Whitson • Sep 4, 2014
Austin Resource Recovery doubles efforts to collect compostables
The city’s Resource Recovery Department continues its push toward its goal of Zero Waste by 2040 by doubling its current program to test curbside compost collection. Officially calling it the Curbside Organics Collection Pilot, city officials are hoping they can…
