Sustainably Speaking: Austin’s Path to Zero Waste | America’s Plastic Makers®

Everything’s bigger in Texas—and Austin’s ambitious zero waste goals are no exception. The city is blazing a trail when it comes to transforming traditional waste management into sustainable resource recovery. On this episode, Maddie Morgan from Austin’s Circular Economy Program shows us how the city is creating a more sustainable future. As you’ll find out, Maddie’s approach to improving the circular economy in her hometown is emblematic of Austin’s innovative, creative, and collaborative culture. We hope her outside-of-the-box ideas and success stories might spark solutions in other communities. 

Maddie knew she had her dream job when she saw one number: 233 tons. In Texas, that’s the equivalent of 330 Longhorns or 24 eighteen-wheelers. In Maddie’s case, it’s the amount of waste that she and the Austin Resource Recovery team have kept from landfill (so far) through Move Out ATX. All told, the economic value of the materials diverted from the landfill through Move Out ATX equates to about $500,000 dollars to date. Yet, as you’ll find out, this program is just one of the many ingenious circular economy projects they are spearheading in Austin to achieve zero waste by 2040. These are projects that could be replicated in communities across the U.S., maybe even yours? If you are looking for inspiration and wondering how you can think differently about waste in your community, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.