Recycling Education

I am a City of Austin Recycling Block Leader for my neighborhood. This is a volunteer position that I have held for 28 years. I work closely with the City and various recycling organizations to stay informed on the latest recycling information. I write a recycling column called “Lettuce Recycle”. It appears monthly in various neighborhood newsletters and magazines around Austin.  I have written this column for over six years.

Before curbside recycling was available in Austin, I organized a neighborhood project to collect recyclable paper.  Several of us saved our paper to take to a private recycling company. We called our project “Lettuce Recycle”.  I was the first to take a load to the recycling center.  We filled up my huge Toyota van and off I went to collect our wealth and save the planet.   We were going to take all the money we earned and throw a neighborhood party. After weighing and unloading the van, I was handed $1.30.  Well, at least we did our best to save the planet.

Recycling education is my goal because recycling can be very confusing.  It is through my articles that I hope to take some of the confusion out of recycling and help Austin reach its Zero Waste goal by 2040.