Austin marches toward Zero Waste

This was quite a week for the city in its quest to become Zero Waste by 2040. Austin Resource Recovery started curbside composting collection for 38,000 city of Austin customers, who woke up last week to a shiny new green compost bin on their curbs to be used for food scraps, yard trimmings and food-soiled paper (like pizza boxes!). Additionally, as of Oct. 1, commercial and multifamily properties in the city are now required to have a recycling system in compliance with the Universal Recycling Ordinance. That’s another huge component of the city’s Zero Waste goals, considering that those properties alone make up almost 90 percent of the trash we send to the landfill. As part of the change, food service businesses (over 5,000 square feet or bigger) now also have to get rid of their food waste without throwing it in the trash. The city recommends those businesses compost, donate leftover food and reduce their food waste.