Texas Campaign for the Environment: News

MEDIA RELEASE: August 5, 2010

TCE Applauds Approval of a Short-term Recycling Contract

As the Texas Campaign for the Environment Executive Director, I applaud the City Council and Solid Waste Services Department on the short-term recycling contract passed unanimously this morning.  This contract will be good for Austin taxpayers and the environment, and is better than the no-cost approach proposed by Texas Disposal Systems in February.  Austinites will finally have recyclables processed locally, benefit from the sales of the recyclable materials, and bear less financial risk if the market value of recyclables plummets.

The City will now negotiate a long-term recycling contract and a hauling contract.  If City trucks currently take our trash to the landfill without using a transfer station, the City needs to analyze if it makes sense for the city to use a South Austin transfer station for the recyclables, especially for routes that are near the TDS facilities.  Since these trucks are now mostly diesel, I urge the City to do what it can to limit air pollution while being cognizant of the financial impacts of these decisions.