I just learned about the Buy Nothing Project/group about a month ago. I’m used to seeing, reading, and writing about posting about (for or away/give or want) items on craigslist, Freecycle, Marketplace and our neighborhood social media platforms. My neighbors started mentioning our area’s Buy Nothing group as a way to re-purpose/re-home/donate items. It’s awesome.…
There was a great article published in the Nov. 26-Dec. 23 Central Austin Edition of the Community Impact Newspaper about local dancewear store Movin’ Easy. I’ve been wearing dance tights in the cold for years, but I don’t remember to talk about it! This article was a great inspiration to share the idea and remind…
I’ve used lemons to successfully clean both the microwave and the oven. Before & after✨ Roll a lemon? on the counter a couple of times. Cut the lemon in half and put it in a microwave safe bowl of water. Microwave for 1.5 – 2 minutes. Dip a cotton cloth in the water (you may need…
In case you didn’t know, the entire spray bottle should not be put as-is in the recycling carts. The bottle bottom is okay to drop in the recycling cart. The entire lid/spray mechanism is best tossed in the trash. There is a metal spring in the pump mechanism enabling it to actually spray. If you…
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…
If you read any zero waste blog, one of the items that inevitably comes up is razors. The blogs recommend you get laser hair removal, waxed, or use a straight or safety razor. All these actions cut down on the disposable razors and replaceable heads, and the plastic used in “disposables.” My leg hair is…
Austin Resource Recovery confirmed lotion tubes CAN be recycled, in addition to lotion bottles, in the City of Austin blue recycling carts. Please try to make sure all or as much as possible of the product is squeezed out. There are metal springs in the pump, so please trash that part of the lotion bottle.…
Eyeglasses and Contact Lens Recycling Eyeglasses A super common but often overlooked item that can be reused/recycled are eyeglasses. Everyone has old eyeglasses laying around, some of you may even have old childhood pairs or pairs from before your surgery. There are several places to take eyeglasses so they can be reused and provided to…
One of the more recent questions I’ve been getting is can my toothbrush be recycled. Probably not and definitely not in the blue single-stream carts. Most toothbrushes are plastic; however the bristles are nylon and the gripy stuff is a kind of polymer. So basically it’s a composite/mixed material and it’s not recyclable in most…
Composting Grooming Don’t forget the small stuff. In our case it’s not too small. Twice a year each year we shave our dog Boogie, who is a small 20 pound terrier mutt. She basically looks like a white Wookie. It’s like shearing a sheep! She almost fills up a kitchen compost collector as you see…