Maine just passed the U.S.’ first state ban on foam food packaging Foam to-go containers, egg cartons, and meat trays are recyclable! At least they are in Austin and New Braunfels! Round Rock will accept egg cartons. To-Go containers can recycled at the Austin Recycle & Reuse Drop-off Center and the New Braunfels’ City Recycle…
There is research showing that not eating meat can be “greener” for the Earth. I respect that argument but I am not addressing that here. If you need to and/or want to eat meat as a source of protein, I want to make sure you are doing what you can to effectively dispose of the…
Zero waste coffee isn’t as time consuming at you may think. It also tastes better in my opinion since it’s fresh. If you use coffee capsules, such as Keurig, and don’t want to change to a more zero waste option, please consider offsetting the single use disposable item by purchasing a Coffee Capsules – Zero…
The following is my opinion on the three commonly available compost bags. So you all know by now that I’m a bit of a zero waste nerd. I did a comparison of the three most commonly available to me kitchen compost collector bags, the approximately 3 gallon size. EcoSafe is my favorite. It has give…
On my street, we have a birthday party for the person our street is named after every year. We also have a lot of events in the community. So when I was asked to provide ideas on how to host a zero waste block party this year, the following is what I came up with.…
Tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world next to water, and can be found in almost 80% of all U.S. households. It is the only beverage commonly served hot or iced, anytime, anywhere, for any occasion. On any given day, over 159 million Americans are drinking tea. Tea Association of the U.S.A.…
Austin Resource Recovery shared a great way to put those home food/cooking delivery service ice packs to a great [re]use. Veterinarians and the Austin Animal Center could use them to aid in medical or surgical needs. Check your local animal service providers or your local vet. I would always call ahead to make sure they…
One of the questions I had recently was about baby formula canisters, like the one pictured here. Most of these containers are made out of liquid paperboard (LPB), a combination of paper and plastic (and sometimes also metal) to keep moisture out. In the City of Austin, these are not recyclable since they’re a composite/mixed…
Per Austin Resource Recovery’s 2018 Compost Audit Report, the top 5 contaminants in the City of Austin’s curbside compost collection are: 1) Recyclables (glass, plastics, tin/aluminum, cardboard)2) Clothes/Textiles3) Styrofoam4) Treated Wood 5) Trash The entire Compostable Material Composition Audit is available here. This is the revised report clarifying cardboard’s original listing as a contaminant. It no…
Disposable/Single Use Freezer Bags They have many names. An image search for the technical name brings up at least the following: Cool Shield Thermal Bubble Mailers Silver Protective Cold Frezon Insulated Box Liners Insulated Foil Bubble Bag Portable Cold Cool Insulation Bag Thermal Disposable Food Delivery Bags You may receive them using meal-kit delivery, food…