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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
Do you need a new car seat or an upgrade for your child or grandkid? April 22 – May 4, 2019 is this spring’s Target Car Seat Trade-in event! Quoting from Target’s website, “Guests who trade in their old car seats will receive a 20 % off coupon toward a new: car seat car seat…
More than you thought Cities are starting to provide Styrofoam recycling. Styrofoam can be melted down in a densifier into a block of material that can then be sold for reuse. The City of Austin and New Braunfels provides this service! I started a neighborhood Styrofoam collection last Christmas when I started to see all…