As one of the fastest-growing large cities in the U.S., Austin Texas attracts 100+ new residents a day. Due to a tight housing market, most of these transplanted ‘Austinites’ rent apartments, condos or other multifamily units. While curbside recycling is the norm for Austin homeowners, many rental properties don’t yet offer recycling pickup.

At the multifamily properties that do offer recycling, the influx of new residents and frequent turnover leads to contamination issues and a need for ongoing education. In addition, when recycling containers are placed too far away from trash containers, some tenants choose not to participate due to inconvenience.

Despite these challenges, multifamily properties offer enormous potential for achieving Austin’s waste diversion goals. With 734,270 apartment units, multifamily housing makes up about 47 percent of the total housing stock in Austin.

To meet this challenge head on, the Austin City Council adopted an ordinance that requires commercial and multifamily properties to provide their employees and tenants with convenient access to recycling. This city ordinance, labeled the Universal Recycling Ordinance (URO), phases in recycling access requirements over a series of years. By Oct. 1, 2016, all multifamily properties in Austin will be required to provide recycling services.

Their approach is unique in that the requires are being phased in over several years, starting with the largest properties. This gives smaller properties more time to prepare and put infrastructure in place.

To ensure successful implementation, stakeholders are involved early in the ordinance development process. The ordinance impacts all commercial properties, so the Austin Resource Recovery team held a series of stakeholder meetings with a wide variety of industry types, including retail, grocery, healthcare, multifamily and commercial properties, as well as member associations, environmental groups and private haulers. The recommendations that came out of these meetings were included in the ordinance and rules for implementation.

To meet the requirements of the ordinance, multifamily properties must take the following five steps:

• Recyclable Materials: Provide recycling for plastics No. 1 & No. 2, paper, cardboard, glass and aluminum. Substitute materials may be proposed on the Annual Diversion Plan.
• Convenience and Capacity: All trash collection service containers or other collection points must have a recycling container within 25 feet. Multifamily and Commercial properties must meet certain minimum recycling service capacity to avoid “token recycling” efforts.
• Signage: All signs must indicate the recyclable materials accepted and use graphic illustrations, stated in both English and Spanish languages.
• Annual Education: Educate new employees and tenants within 30 days of hire or move-in and annually thereafter.
• Annual Diversion Plan: Submit online each year between Oct. 1 and Feb. 1.

Austin Resource Recovery has a team of experts who provide free consulting services to help property owners and managers understand the ordinance requirements and provide guidance on ways to improve or expand recycling programs. The team offers free training sessions, sends speakers to events and conducts onsite waste assessments. Online resources are available, such as signage templates, capacity calculators and tips for educating employees and tenants.

Advice for other cities looking to implement a similar ordinance?

1. Listen to the multifamily housing industry and get them on board early. Take their recommendations into consideration before ordinance adoption.
2. Listen to multifamily residents. Tenants are a key factor in driving demand for recycling services.
3. Create a list of standardized rules that can be easily implemented, to encourage best practices in serving the site tenants.
4. Plan compliance techniques and acquire proper resources before implementation of the ordinance.
5. Present the requirements as a means toward the city waste diversion goals, and avoid portraying the rules as new city “regulations.”

As cities like Austin grow and change, listening and engaging with the community is critical to zero waste’s success.

Please visit Fibrex Group to discover the latest products to help you reach zero waste. Our latest dual recycling container, the Revolve Recycler is an attractive cart housing for 95-gallon carts for use at housing communities, universities, resorts, military bases, etc. Or give us a call at 1-800-346-4458.

*Previously posted on www.waste360.com by Bob Gedert, director of the Austin Resource Recovery Department

The environment is a great concern for all of us, whether we realize it or not. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat; every aspect of our lives in influenced directly by the ecosystem in which we live, and the way we live influences or ecosystem in turn. Scientists and activists have known this for years, but the public at large is just starting to catch on and children today are growing up in a fragile world. There are many reasons why our children should be educated about the environment.

1.Those Who Don’t Learn from History…

The world is damaged. There is really no intelligent argument against this point anymore. The rapid growth of our population and the industrial revolution that’s taken place over the past few hundred years have put our environment in a fragile state. Our cities spew toxic pollution into surrounding ecosystems every second, forests are being destroyed daily, the seas are being overfished, and our resources are dwindling. Children should be brought up to think about sustainable lifestyle options, not to perpetuate the mistakes of their ancestors.

2.Global Warming Consciousness

The evidence supporting global warming and climate change is becoming more irrefutable day by day. Only the most stubborn could deny its significance and imminent threat to our health and lifestyle at this point. Children are highly impressionable, and while even the most conclusive evidence may not have an effect on the wealthy old oil magnate who makes his living off of large carbon footprints, there is now a glowing opportunity to educate about the dangers that global warming and climate change pose to the entire world.

3.Get Children Excited

School can be boring, anyone who has been through basic education can attest to that. Students get restless sitting at their desks for hours on end. Environmental education can get students out of the classroom for fun and enlightening field trips that can help children learn about their local ecosystems and inspire a lifelong passion for learning. Dynamic teaching methods are very effective in engaging the students, and this can be a great asset in their learning experience. An environmentally minded education isn’t only good for the environment; it’s good for the children as well.

4.Get Children Outside

Children of today spend more time than ever in front of the TV and computer screens. Video games are prevalent in most households, the internet is whittling away time, and children are becoming more inactive. Inactivity in these crucial years can lead to attention problems, obesity, and a loss of valuable time with friends and family. Environmental education encourages a love of the outdoors, which can help keep children physically and psychologically healthy.

5.Careers

Children should be given all the opportunities in the world, and there will be a great market for satisfying and lucrative careers in the environmental sector in the future. We are approaching an era in which a doctorate in environmental science won’t be the only option for career seeking individuals in this field.

A child brought up with quality environmental education will have developed critical thinking, problem solving skills, and practical knowledge. The knowledge they can gain in this subject could help them to save themselves, and the world as well. Check out the Fibrex Group line of educational recyclers. Work. Play. Recycle.

*Originally published by Ways2GoGreenBlog.com

With only 34 days between Thanksgiving and New Year's, everyone is scrambling to purchase and wrap gifts, write out holiday cards, bake up a holiday cookie storm and ring in the New Year.

But even with a shorter holiday season, Americans will still manage to throw away 25 percent more trash than any other time of year.

So how do you combat that statistic? There are several opportunities for you to do your part.

• One way is to simply remember to recycle. The holidays are a busy, hectic time, but keep up with daily recycling of cans, newspapers, bottles and cardboard. Find out what can go into your recycle bin, both in the office and at home. Encourage everyone in your family and at work to recycle!
• Much of our additional holiday waste comes from food. Big family meals, numerous parties and dinners out are a typical way of life for many Americans during the holiday season. To do your part, and limit what goes into the landfill, consider forming a Food Waste Collection program at home or at the office. Meat scraps and bones, fruit peels and food-contaminated items like napkins, paper plates and pizza boxes can be put into a composter.
• The holidays are a big time for people to upgrade their electronics. And since certain electronics like televisions, laptops, cellphones and other computer accessories are all banned from landfill disposal, it's a great time to take your old and unwanted gear to an electronics recycling drop-off center. Many communities host them regularly, or you can bring out-dated or unused electronics to a designated electronics recycling drop-off centers. This will ensure your device is properly recycled.

With just a few extra steps, you can have a happy and responsible holiday. And because you are doing your part to keep the Earth healthier, there are sure to be many happy New Years to come!

For more information on recycling or to purchase recycling receptacles, contact Fibrex Group. Work. Play. Recycle.

greenbaypressgazette.com

The Royal Netherlands Embassy and Yksi Design will host a pop-up exhibition showcasing more than 50 examples of sustainable and social Dutch Design. The Netherlands Embassy and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines invite the public to a pop-up exhibition at the embassy on December 14 that showcases sustainable Dutch Design.

Whether it’s a groundbreaking approach to protect the land from flooding or developing innovative products for the future, the Netherlands is known for its pragmatic yet innovative approach to design. The pop-up exhibition “ReUse, ReTouch, ReDutch” will feature more than 50 examples of sustainable and social Dutch Design that can be seen in everyday life.

The exhibition includes the work of globally known Dutch designers who turn discarded old materials into something completely new. Come take a look at Piet Hein Eek’s famous scrapwood designs or the chairs made from old rags designed by Tejo Remy and René Veenhuizen. The exhibition also features hats made out of human hair, baskets out of used flip-flops, and 3D-printed chairs from used refrigerators.

Sustainable Dutch design is also about finding new ways to tackle some of today’s most salient ecological challenges. The alarm clock Marieke Stap designed uses the power in our soil to function. Dopper is an alternative to plastic bottles, helping to put a stop to plastic waste threatening the world’s ecosystem. In a time of increasingly extreme weather, the Senz umbrella is designed in such a way that it can withstand 100 km/h winds.

Each of these designs are examples of how the innovative spirit in the Netherlands can improve the lives of people around the world by incorporating sustainability in the products they use daily. The pop-up exhibition is designed by Yksi Design, one of the founding organizations behind the Dutch Design Week.

This event is free and open to the public, and will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Netherlands Embassy, 4200 Linnean Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20008. Check out the event on Facebook, and invite your friends.

Purchasing gifts?

Show some style when shopping by bringing your own reusable bags. Choose minimally-packaged items made with recycled content and give items that will be treasured, not thrown out before the next holiday season. Consider giving experiences, homemade and vintage gifts. Remember to wrap it recyclable by using old newspaper, paper gift wrap or a nice paper gift bag. A reusable bag or container is the gift wrap that keeps on giving. Check out these creative gift wrap reuse ideas.

Preparing a holiday meal?

Look for items in recyclable packaging and buy minimally- or non-packaged fresh produce, like that from local farmers markets. It’s always preferable to buy local! Compost your vegetable trimmings on your own.  Prevent waste by making small changes such as using recyclable aluminum foil rather than plastic wrap for food storage. Serve your masterpiece on reusable plates and offer guests reusable flatware, glassware and napkins.

Sending cards?

Try e-cards or look for greetings made with recycled content (the more post-consumer content, the better). Include a note with your cards that they can be donated for reuse by sending to St. Judes Ranch for Children, where they will be repurposed into greetings for 2015. Other types of occasions are needed as well, so save those December birthday cards!

Recycle Unwanted Electronics.

If you're upgrading or unloading electronics, don't send them to the landfill! Look up recycling resources in your community or see if you might qualify for an e-waste collection after the holidays.

Loosen Your Drawers.

Clear out ill-fitting, outdated and otherwise unwanted clothing and other textiles (even the stuff you spilled cranberry sauce on at the holiday party) and bring them to a thrift store or donate them to a local church.

Having a holiday party?

Order some special  event recycling bins from the Fibrex Group to collect all of those aluminum cans and glass bottles that you might otherwise discard. If your waste hauler accepts them at the curb, you’re set. If not, take them to a local recycling center and trade them in for some much needed cash after the holidays.

Rejoice. Celebrate. Recycle.

Transform your 95-gallon wheeled carts into an attractive and durable dual stream recycling or waste container. More and more people want to use automated collection methods to serve recycling points in public spaces.  The Revolve is an innovative housing for universal wheeled collection carts that fits a wide variety of cart designs. We have consulted with all the major solid waste cart manufacturers to make sure their carts fit our standard housing sizes.  Revolve cart housing is also available for 35 and 65 gallon carts.  We offer modular models for single, dual, or triple stream collection.    

Revolve is made out of rust resistant galvannealed steel and has no exposed fasteners.  All units come with an architectural grade powder coated finish both inside and out. The powder coated finish is available is several standard colors and many more custom shades.  Multi-color units are available as well.  

On the front are two large spring hinged drop-in openings fitted with an interior chute to guide the recyclables into the carts.  Two universally keyed front doors lock for security and open all the way for easy emptying.  Custom easy to read, pre-applied vinyl or magnetic decals on the front of the unit indicate the desired waste/recycling stream to your users.  

The Revolve smart design can be shipped unassembled to reduce freight.  It’s easily assembled with standard tools.  Fully assembled shipping and installation is available as well.   The Revolve Depot contains 30% minimum recycled content and is made entirely in the USA. Each unit measures 67”L x 38”W x 61”H and weighs 300 pounds without interior carts. Custom designer colors and signage are available upon request.  

These commercial recycling units are perfect for:

1. Multi-Family Housing
2. Student Housing
3. Military Housing  
4. Parks & Recreation Areas
5. Downtown & Office Parks
6. Stadiums
7. Amusement Parks
8. Colleges & Universities
9. Grocery Stores
10. Beaches

Contact Fibrex at www.fibrexgroup.com or via 1.800.346.4458 for further information and quotes.
Work. Play. Recycle.

Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts has purchased Fibrex Group’s RecyclePro  single unit recycling receptacles for their recycling efforts. Units will be placed at the Leverett House and Inn at Harvard sites. Both of these locations are housing for students & their families while attending or visiting the Harvard campus.

Leverett House is the largest Residential House at Harvard College, first established in 1930. For roughly a century, Leverett has offered its residents more than just a place a live. With its famous monkey bread, lots of Lev Love, and a good dose of fun, Leverett House's tight community can be felt by anyone who walks through the doors.

RecyclePro Recycling Receptacles have covers and bodies that are silk screened with clear messages and logos that look professional and last indefinitely. We allow you to choose the message/logo you want for each opening of our recycling receptacles. Custom messages and corporate/government logos are easily prepared to customize your RecyclePro Recycling Receptacles for a minimal set-up fee.

Available in three different sizes, these smartly designed recycling receptacles are already a favorite of commercial designers and purchasing agents across the country. Make RecyclePro Recycling Receptacles your preferred collection choice! Work. Play. Recycle.

www.fibrexgroup.com or 1.800.346.4458

The EcoChallenge was started by the Northwest Earth Institute based in Portland, Oregon to raise awareness about sustainability and taking responsibility for the Earth. Beginning on October 15 and ending on October 29, this is a perfect opportunity for all of us to reduce our footprint, cut our energy consumption or just start a new sustainable habit to make the Earth a better place for all of us.

Every employee at The Fibrex Group has set a goal in one of six categories: water, energy, food, waste, transportation or civic engagement. Whether it’s carpooling to work, recycling, or using reusable food containers for lunch every little pledge makes a difference.

Why Should I Take on the #EcoChallenge?

• Challenge: The #EcoChallenge is a chance to push yourself, adopt a new habit, reduce your impact, and challenge your teammates to work toward a sustainable future!
• Community: Registering for the EcoChallenge connects you to a growing community of folks who are making a difference. Connect with others who are taking on the EcoChallenge on this website, and through NWEI’s Facebook page. Together we can inspire each other and be a force for change.
• Inspiration: With so many ways to approach sustainability, it can be tough to know where to start. We provide you with tips and success stories in each EcoChallenge category (water, energy, transportation, food, or trash) to help inspire you.  
• Savings: There are many ways to save money by taking on the EcoChallenge. Reducing your energy consumption and water use will cut your monthly utility bills. Diverting waste to recycling and compost could allow you to reduce the frequency of your trash service! Pursuing alternative transportation is sure to save you money too. The EcoChallenge is good for the planet AND your wallet!
• Accomplishment: Now is your chance to give a new habit a shot—you may find out that it’s easier than you imagined. We also encourage you to share your progress with your friends and family, or better yet, take the EcoChallenge together and celebrate your joint accomplishments!
• Fun: Many participants tell us their EcoChallenge led to surprising discoveries and unexpected benefits. The romance of an “un-plugged” dinner by candlelight. The smell of fresh bread wafting out of a neighbor’s kitchen during a bike commute. The thrill of finding a treasure at a secondhand store. What will you discover?
• Prizes: The EcoChallenge Raffle is better than ever this year! Collect points for participating in the EcoChallenge and win prizes from your favorite local businesses!  

This blog was first a newspaper article that several organizations were hoping would end up in a recycling bin.

Sodexo, the Butler County Recycling and Solid Waste department, and Keep Middletown Beautiful are taking steps to increase recycling throughout the school district, and eventually in the community.

The earlier the recycling habit is taught, the more likely it will become a lifestyle. A member of Keep Middletown Beautiful  said, “If we can get it built into the students for life, they will patrol their parents.”

Recycling bins are being added at all of the district’s 11 schools. Recycling bins will be located in all the cafeterias and they will be emptied daily by the custodians.

Blue plastic recycling bins also will be placed in every classroom in the district. The hope is that every school will create a Green Team that will empty the paper recyclables once a week.

The bins will be located in most of the schools sometime this week, then after potential issues are addressed, the remaining recycle bins will be placed in all the other schools, probably within two weeks.

The Butler County Recycling and Solid Waste department is providing the district literature to be placed throughout the schools, encouraging students to participate in the recycling program.

For more information on recycling containers for your schools, contact The Fibrex Group.

journal-news.com

It seems everywhere you look these days, hip urban designers are breaking down the formality of permanent structures and reclaiming public streets to create playful parks, plazas, cafés and playgrounds. The concept grew out of the pavement-to-parks movement in San Francisco, a city where public rights-of-way make up 25% of the city's land area; more space than all the public parks combined. Here are 5 of our favorite ‘Pop Up Parks’ from near and far, starting with the one that inspired the trend; a simple, temporary park installed by San Francisco's Rebar Art & Design Studio.

PARK(ing) Space by Rebar
San Francisco, California

According to Rebar Art & Design Studio, one of the more critical issues facing urban human habitats is the dearth of outdoor space for people to rest, relax, play or just do nothing. For example, more than 70% of San Francisco’s downtown outdoor space is dedicated to private vehicular parking, while only a fraction of that space is allocated to the public realm.

PARK(ing) is an experiment in reprogramming a typical unit of private vehicular space by leasing a metered parking spot for public recreational activity. On November 16, 2005, Rebar identified a public parking space situated in an area of downtown San Francisco that was underserved by public outdoor space, and located in an ideal, sunny location between the hours of noon and 2 p.m. They installed a small, temporary public park that provided nature, seating, and shade, temporarily expanding the public realm and improving the quality of urban human habitat – or at least until the meter ran out!

This simple two hour intervention has blossomed into an international event called Park(ing) Day where artists, designers and citizens around the globe reclaim the streets for recreation, for fun, and for play.

This simple pop-up park above by San Francisco architects Rebar included sod, a bench, and a tree.

What better way to enhance your pop-up or permanent park than with recycling containers or recycled plastic benches? The Fibrex Group can provide you with a large variety of sustainable models to choose from. Check out our website at www.fibrexgroup.com or give us a ring at 1.800.346.4458.

Portions written by Stephanie Norton at ‘CAD Details’