“Reduce, reuse, recycle” is a motto that is drilled into most people starting in early elementary science classes. Despite this, recycling rates in the United States remain low. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted surveys in 2018 stating 32% of Americans recycle. The Austin Resource Recovery (ARR) team noted that in Austin they collected 52,924 tons of recycling, 40,846 tons of composting and 136,713 tons of trash in the year 2024. Their goal is to have Austin be “zero waste” by 2040. This is a necessity if Austin is going to be able to move forward, especially with its large population growth. As of right now, the city is not on track to meet its target. Without stronger enforcement and systems, it likely will not.
The zero waste goal was created in 2011 and stated that the amount of trash sent to landfills would be reduced by 90% by 2040. According to the master plan, ARR trash diversion should be at 85% by this year. Currently, diversion is at 37%, less than half of what was projected. There is a serious gap in the city’s environmental goals and the actual outcomes.
Achieving zero waste by 2040 is not a distant goal on the horizon. It is less than 20 years away. Reaching 90% landfill diversion by that time requires rapid progress beginning right now, not small adjustments over a long period of time. If Austin keeps going at its current pace, it risks this goal becoming an empty promise. It is achievable, we just need to put in the work.
A major culprit of Austin waste is the large corporations, especially as Austin boomed in a hub for business in the last 20 years. Tesla, construction companies and the large tech companies such as Apple are just a few, especially as they develop more land. An ARR study in 2020 found that businesses are responsible for over 75% of waste in the community. If Austin hopes to get waste production numbers down, this is a zone that should be addressed more aggressively.
In order to reduce this waste the city implemented several systems and policies, including the Universal Recycling Ordinance. The URO is responsible for ensuring that commercial businesses and multi-family housing provide access to recycling and that food-permitted businesses keep organic material out of landfills. These recycling programs and composting processes are a critical step for the movement towards zero waste.
While the city has put these processes in place, their effect is minor due to inconsistent enforcement and low public participation. As Austin continues to face rapid growth, increased waste production is a consequence of that.
According to the Austin Climate Equity Plan, Austinites throw away up to 58,000 tons of recyclables yearly, rather than putting them to reuse. This waste that we burn contributes to the ongoing problem of greenhouse gas emissions, increasing Austin’s by 40%. Many people don’t realize the impact that their own actions actually have on them and their community.
When easily recyclable items such as paper or plastic containers are thrown away, they end up in landfills. In some places that will be burned, polluting the air alongside things like fossil fuel emissions. These pollutants don’t just disappear, they go back into the air in our cities, and back into our lungs. The air pollution affects children’s growing lungs and makes people of all ages more prone to asthma attacks and lung disease.
Along with air pollution, excessive waste also contributes to pollution of our lakes and water systems. Littering and improper disposal of even the smallest pieces of trash has lasting effects. Microplastics coming off of every piece are released into our water and then travel to animals and can even break down even smaller and enter humans. In a study done in the Netherlands, plastic particles were detected in the bloodstream of 80% of people participating. A geology student at UT conducted a study on microplastics in Austin’s waters and discovered that in every 100 grams of sediment the lakes are accumulating thousands of microplastic particles. This build up will only continue to get worse.
Essentially, by choosing not to participate in reducing, reusing and recycling, you are poisoning your own body along with millions of others. This is why Austin needs to change its ways even more drastically. If we are truly going to be zero waste by 2040, we can’t continue with the same routine of just ignoring the issues at hand. Our air, our water and our health is being continuously polluted by our own choices. The city will continue to grow and urbanize, our systems of environmental protection need to grow with it.
ARR provides curbside collection to 215,146 homes across Austin. The URO provides recycling services to many others in all different communities. There is no excuse. Recycle your paper, your hard plastics, your glass. Compost your food waste. Reuse your cardboard boxes and your clothes. Help contribute to the goal of getting Austin to be zero waste by 2040, it is a group effort. Our future is in our hands.