Airport pours one out for Earth Day

On Friday, the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport debuted its first Pour It Out receptacle to mark Earth Day. The program is an effort to divert liquid from bottles and other containers before they are placed in recycle bins. Pouring out the liquid is a crucial part of the recycling process, because liquids ruin recyclable materials. In one day last November, the airport collected 334 pounds of drinking bottles that contained some kind of liquid. The airport believes the program could help divert 62 tons of waste from the landfill in a single year. Now, travelers going through Checkpoint 1 can take part in the pilot program by simply dumping leftover liquids in the Pour It Out bin before depositing their bottles in the recycling bin. Depending on the results, more receptacles could be installed going forward.