Is Austin’s goal of sustainability sustainable? The city aims to be zero-waste by 2040—meaning 90 percent of discarded materials will be either recycled or composted and not sent to landfills—yet 80 percent of the items at city landfills could have been recycled or composted, according to a 2015 study.
Yet business community members and environmental advocates alike seem to agree that Austin is making strides toward a target that seemed high to some at the time of its adoption in 2009—when the city became the first in Texas to adopt such a strategy.
The four-year phase-in of the city’s ordinance requiring commercial properties—including schools, medical facilities and businesses, in addition to apartments and condominiums—to provide recycling services is set to be complete Oct. 1.
Although Austin still has a long way to go to meet its zero-waste goal, the general manager of Austin’s largest processor of recyclables said the doubling of its workforce and continued investment in its far East Austin facility stand as evidence of the progress made.
“This is not an easy task we set ourselves at, and it’s one that I think we are as a company very much in partnership with the city on,” Balcones Resources General Manager Joaquin Mariel said.
When the last phase of the recycling ordinance rolls out Oct. 1, all multifamily and nonresidential commercial properties will be required to provide tenants and employees with convenient access to recycling services.
The municipal law, which has been implemented gradually since 2013, mandates that affected properties provide the following: sufficient recycling capacity; convenient access to recycling services; recycling services for paper, plastics Nos. 1 and 2, aluminum, glass and cardboard; bilingual recycling education and informational container signs; and online submission of an annual diversion plan.
Single-family homes, to which the ordinance does not apply, get curbside recycling collection through the city.
Failure to abide by any of the five guidelines can result in a fine between $200 and $2,000 per violation, per day.
Business Community
On the flip side, commercial properties are offered rebates and other incentives to invest in recycling and composting equipment.
And the burden on recycling enthusiasts has eased with recycling pickup available through the city’s contractors, such as Texas Disposal Services.
Local plant and botanical design firm and event space Articulture Designs, located at 6405 Manchaca Road, has been an active participant in the recycling program and plans to continue its zero-waste practices, according to co-owner Dante Dominick.
The business strives to reuse leftover materials such as plastic, glass and cardboard from completed design projects in the creation of new projects. However, when that is not possible, all materials are recycled, Dominick said.
To read the full story, visit https://communityimpact.com/austin/city-county/2017/09/27/south-austin-businesses-embrace-citys-zero-waste-practices/.