Egg Cartons

The question of what to do with egg cartons comes up a lot so I wanted to address it here. Paper egg cartons without egg goo are “best and highest use” in recycling carts. “Best and highest use” will give the carton several future lives as additional paper products until the paper fibers become so…

Composting Questions and Confusions

This article addresses composting in Austin. I’ve included information for apartments and curbside residents. Don’t forget to check out my previous posts on composting:– https://alittlemore.green/2019/04/25/compost-bags-comparison/ – https://alittlemore.green/2019/03/29/top-5-compost-contaminants-in-austin/ – https://alittlemore.green/2019/03/30/fur-and-feet/ – https://muellerneighborhood.org/city-austin-composting-comes-mueller/ Apartments– City of Austin apartment and condominium composting and recycling information is located at here.-The Texas Farmers Market at Mueller (Saturday only composts), and…

Back to School and Office Supplies

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…

Myths, Rumors, Confusion: Recycling in Austin

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…

Neighborhood Recycling Group

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…

Batteries

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…

Think Outside the Bag

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: Zero-er Waste

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…