Take the Austin Recycles Pledge!
Recycle Everyday, Everything, Everywhere
AUSTIN, TEXAS – To engage the public and help achieve the City’s immediate goal of keeping 50 percent of trash out of landfills by 2015, Austin Resource Recovery is asking Austin residents to pledge to recycle. By taking the Austin Recycles pledge, residents commit to taking small steps. Recycle every day, everything and everywhere.
“Austin residents play a primary role in reducing the amount of waste sent to our landfills,” Mayor Lee Leffingwell said. “As an original sponsor of the Zero Waste effort, I challenge every resident and business owner in Austin to take the recycling pledge.”
The pledge asks Austinites to do the following:
- Recycle every day: Make recycling a daily activity and first consider recycling options before throwing items in the trash.
- Recycle everything: Visit austinrecycles.com to learn about all of the recyclables that can be placed in the blue recycling cart, including junk mail, cardboard food boxes, metal food cans and more.
- Recycle everywhere: Use recycling options at home, work and at events, and encourage others to recycle.
“We hope that by making this commitment now, residents will continue recycling for the long-term,” said Austin Resource Recovery Director Bob Gedert. “About 87 percent of Austin residents already recycle. We also know that some recyclables are still ending up in the landfill. We’re asking Austinites to take their recycling efforts to the next level and recycle every day, everything and everywhere.”
Austin City Council proclaimed the month of November 2013 “Austin Recycles Month,”. Friday, Nov. 15, is also America Recycles Day. This is an ideal time for residents to show their support for recycling. Residents can pledge online at austinrecycles.com or at community events. Zero Waste Block Leaders – recycling and Zero Waste advocates who educate their neighbors about waste reduction – also will help spread the word and encourage others to pledge.
The objective is to reach the City Council’s goal of Zero Waste by 2040 or sooner.
This means keeping at least 90 percent of discarded materials out of landfills. Austin Resource Recovery is currently working toward a 2015 milestone. This is to keep 50 percent of materials out of the landfill. Collecting more recyclables at the curb is a key factor in reaching that goal. As of September 2013, the City’s residential diversion rate is about 40 percent. From October 2012 through September 2013, the City of Austin collected about 53,700 tons of recyclables at the curb. Comparatively, the City collected about 124,180 tons of trash at the curb during this same time period. This is more than double the amount of recycling collected.
For a list of community events, recycling resources, or to take the pledge online, visit austinrecycles.com.
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About Austin Resource Recovery
Austin Resource Recovery provides a wide range of services designed to transform waste into resources. 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 roadmap to Zero Waste. The City of Austin is committed to reducing the amount of waste sent to area landfills by 90 percent by 2040.
