Greening Austin Daily

Where Do All Those Beer Bottles From 6th Street Go?

18th April, 2011 - Posted by katherine - No Comments

Several weeks ago, I got an email from a reader stating:

I was just having horrible images of downtown austin alleys at 2:30 am so I started wondering if there has ever been an initiative to start recycling for downtown austin bars. most of everything they throw away is recyclable. i would imagine several, local, environmental non-profits would get behind this idea and there would be some philanthropists around who would donate for this cause. Ecology Action would probably help, too.

I looked into it and found this post from downtownaustinblog.org that explained:

All buildings within the Downtown Refuse Contract District (6th Street, Warehouse District and Congress Ave) can currently recycle paper and cardboard products.  There is a voluntary program that bars can opt-in to for glass recycling.  This includes several dumpsters placed throughout the alleys of East Sixth Street.  Only 10 bars participate in this program.

I want to emphasize this point:  The vast majority of beer bottles and cans in downtown Austin bars are NOT recycled. They’re just thrown away.  Take a moment an envision how many beers are consumed during a given week.  Now, imagine those beer cans and bottles piling up at the dump.  Next, imagine that they’ve been doing this for decades.

Since that post was from last year, I contacted Solid Waste Services and asked if there were any updates on glass bottle recycling in downtown Austin/6th Street, as last I had heard, only 10 bars participated in the voluntary program.  The response from a Solid Waste Services employee was prompt and friendly, but not extremely encouraging:

Currently, the situation has not changed.  That doesn’t mean that change isn’t right around the corner, though.  We’re working on finishing a new service contract for the Central Business District, and it should go into effect later this year.  It sounds like it will be an expanded version of what is offered right now, and should take most of the materials that our current Single Stream program takes (plastics, tin and steel, all types of paper).  I believe that will be a “win/win” for them.
 
I don’t have any specifics on when this will be rolled out, as there are some logistical challenges to look at.  Look for new dumpsters in the downtown area!  

So it sounds like it could be quite some time before there’s single stream recycling downtown, and even then it may not accept glass bottles and participation will be voluntary.  Just as with recycling by home owners or apartment renters, I’m guessing that unless access to recycling bins is made as readily available as access to traditional dumpsters, there’s little motivation for bars downtown to recycle their materials.  I’ve asked a follow up question for the names of the 10 or so bars that voluntarily recycle their bottles, so look for that update in the near future, but when you go out, also be mindful of the lack of recycling downtown when choosing your drink of choice and try to opt for a draft beer or mixed drink, and avoid wasting a bottle altogether.