The city aims to eliminate the majority of landfill waste by 2040.
A new Comprehensive Plan from Austin Resource Recovery (ARR) charts the city’s path to zero waste, a commitment the city fell behind on after only diverting 40 percent of materials from landfills by 2020, short of its goal of 75 percent.
As Hannah Rossi reports in The Austin Chronicle, the plan identifies the city’s population growth, the increase in “abnormal weather events,” and waste stream privatization as challenges to achieving its zero waste by 2040 goal. According to the plan, privatization “precludes the city from being able to collect accurate data on its progress towards achieving zero waste, as companies fear that any numbers they share will become public record – and ammunition for competitors.”
The plan highlights the urgency of “more infrastructure, more recycling and circular economy education programs, and more access to digital tools and collection services.”
The agency says it has started work on several projects including “an EPA-funded furniture repair and reuse warehouse,” but “acknowledges that there is a long road ahead to ticking off the more than 60 near- and long-term goals it lays out in its Comprehensive Plan.”
FULL STORY: Austin Resource Recovery Charts a New Course to Achieving Zero Waste
Parked Cars Hamper NYC Trash Containerization Effort
Sanitation workers must manually collect bags from containers blocked by parked cars, slowing a process that is meant to be safer and more efficient.
Striving for a Zero-Waste Future
A number of U.S. cities have set ambitious zero-waste goals, but reaching targets has been challenging. Turning waste into a viable commodity is one strategy to get materials out of the waste stream.
Atlanta Adopts Waste-Collection App to Improve Service
The city's public works department hopes the app will improve efficiency, sustainability, and customer service.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Waymo Gets Permission to Map SF’s Market Street
If allowed to operate on the traffic-restricted street, Waymo’s autonomous taxis would have a leg up over ride-hailing competitors — and counter the city’s efforts to grow bike and pedestrian on the thoroughfare.
Parklet Symposium Highlights the Success of Shared Spaces
Parklets got a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the concept was translated to outdoor dining programs that offered restaurants a lifeline during the shutdown.
Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service