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Council rejects Texas Gas Service rate hike

City Council voted unanimously Thursday to reject new rates proposed by Texas Gas Service. The vote came as no surprise. The decision had strong support from a group of environmental and consumer advocates who wrote a letter to Council last…

Amid historic oil bust, Texas regulators consider the once unthinkable: Keeping it in the ground

In a move that would have been unimaginable just a couple of months ago, Texas is considering limiting oil production in the state. Capping the amount of crude that can be pumped is a power the state has not used…

Parks remain accessible, but playscapes cause community concern

Austin’s public parks are institutions of expansive green space and outdoor recreation that would appear to be prime locations to abide by social distancing policies while offering the chance to get out and about. However, depending on the destination, enjoying…

City's waste collection problem solved

According to a memo from Deputy Procurement Officer Shawn Willett, the city of Austin now has three short-term contracts for the disposal of refuse, recycling, brush and compostable materials. The city’s procurement team and members of Austin Resource Recovery scrambled…

Opponents of Austin trash transfer station take their case to the state

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality held a public hearing Thursday night on a proposal to build a garbage transfer station in North Austin. The project is facing growing opposition from public officials, neighbors and environmental groups. The Austin Community…

Affordability may mean dealing honestly with trash

Austin’s growth is putting a strain on the city’s waste collection service provider, Austin Resource Recovery, as it struggles to keep costs down for customers. Results of the Residential Solid Waste Affordability Study, presented to the Zero Waste Advisory Committee…

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Austin Energy discusses how to resolve repercussions of water bill fiasco

It has been over a year since the water bill saga first made headlines in Austin. However, only now are city utilities releasing a post-mortem report designed to help them avoid a similar situation in the future. While the report…

Zero Waste Advisory Commission buries landfill criteria matrix

Austin’s Zero Waste Advisory Commission met Wednesday night and voted to scrap a two-year effort at creating a matrix of criteria that could objectively evaluate landfills for city use. The commission was presented with two matrices — one developed by…

landfill

Garbage companies fight over landfill standards

Over the past two years, City Council has faced challenges in deciding who to pay to haul and dispose of the large amount of trash generated by city facilities. One of the big local trash players, Texas Disposal Systems, has…

landfill

Landfill fix on hold for now

Landfills exist comfortably outside of the public eye until something happens that reminds everyone that their upkeep is a critical component to keep our city functioning. On April 11, Tony Davee, a project manager with Austin Resource Recovery, came to…

Dumpster contract headed to Council, hung up on lobbying ordinance rewrite

As City Council continues to debate the policies associated with the anti-lobbying ordinance, Austin solid waste contracts are beginning to expire with very little recourse for renewals. The latest casualty is city-owned facilities’ dumpster collection services. On Feb. 14, Austin…

Once again, Austin's landfill criteria is back in discussion

Nobody wants their backyard to become a landfill. For nearly a year, Austin Resource Recovery has been redesigning the landfill criteria matrix that refuse companies will have to abide by going forward. Problem is, it seems that staff is caught…

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