This month Earth 911 posted an article titled, “Everything Your Child Needs for a Waste-Free School Year” and “Be Prepared: Your Complete Back-to-School Guide” These articles point out some new “green” school and office supplies that are more environmentally friendly than traditional supplies. However; while I appreciate their intent, and yes compostable materials and recycled…
One of Austin’s zero wasters posted about an incredible new lending library she is creating for dishes! You can check out her post on the Dish Lending Library here; it’s so good I’m not going to repeat it! I would love to see this used at the block parties in my neighborhood! Libraries aren’t just…
These are the questions you submitted for clarification on curbside recycling in Austin. We have the contacts and the resources to recycle a ton of items in Austin (we’re so lucky!) we just need to read the material to Recycle Right! Recycling Numbers:The often misidentified “recycling number” inside the little triangle on materials is actually…
Due to the amount of neighbors that offered to help collect or transport non-curbside-accepted recyclables to the appropriate place, I created a neighborhood recycling Facebook group where residents and businesses in my neighborhood can be listed as drop-off sites for more difficult items. The items collected are not allowed in the blue recycling carts and…
One of the topics I get the most questions about is batteries. People know (for the most part) not to put them in their curbside trash, but they don’t know where to take them. Batteries in curbside trash can react with chemicals in the carts which can cause the trucks to catch on fire, called…
Unconventional trash bags According to the sustainability site Treehugger, there are 8 Rs. They are: Reduce: Just use less. Return: Producers should take back what they sell. Reuse: Almost boring, but we throw too much stuff out too soon. Repair: Fix and mend things rather than replacing them. Refill: In Ontario Canada, 88% of beer bottles are returned to…
Pets have a lot of stuff! It can be hard to be 100% zero waste with an animal. Here are a few ideas that may help lower the environmental impact of your furry friend(s). Buy in bulk if it’s available. Do ask the store how they fill the bulk bins. The store may be using…
Toys can be recycled! One thing I see a lot of during Austin’s Bulk Collection is unwanted or unusable toys left curbside. I would love to see these toys donated to those who don’t have toys, or if unusable then recycled! Plastic toys without batteries or plugs, know as “Hard Plastics,” can be recycled in…
The Lash Lounge supports Wands for Wildlife I am very excited to announce that one of Mueller’s own businesses, The Lash Lounge, is accepting old mascara wands for recycling in support of the Appalachian Wildlife Refuge’s Wands for Wildlife program at both its Mueller and West Lake Hills locations. Wands for Wildlife takes clean old…
Maybe you’ve been reluctant to downsize your trash cart because you’re not sure you could always get all your trash bags inside. Maybe you like to have big gatherings and sometimes have more bags than normal. Maybe you’re doing a big spring clean out and just have more trash than usual. Do you know about…