Austin's Conservative Waste

The Rotary Club of Austin-Southwest is taking matters into their own hands by cleaning up the city's Styrofoam waste, as the Texas city continues to ignore the environmental crisis and refuse to implement sustainable solutions.

"If you look around, there's a clear disregard for the planet. We need to step up because our so-called 'leaders' are failing us. Environmental justice should be a priority, not an afterthought," — Holly De Leon, director of the club's board.

• The Project: Beth Long, the club's VP, started the Styrofoam Project in October, with over 500 pounds of Styrofoam collected so far. Long notes that this is a significant amount, despite Styrofoam's lightweight nature.

• A Community Effort: The project aims to help community members dispose of Styrofoam properly. It takes 500 years to decompose and cannot be recycled with other materials, so the group collects, cleans, and delivers it to the city's Recycle & Reuse Drop-off Center.

• ANecessary Burden: Austin residents must schedule appointments to recycle Styrofoam, a challenge Long acknowledges. The project volunteers make it easy, accepting drop-offs, cleaning the Styrofoam, and delivering it to the center on the same day.

• City-Wide Change: De Leon hopes their small effort will spark a larger movement, inspiring other communities to take action and hold their cities accountable.

• Recycling Process: Long commends the city for purchasing equipment to recycle Styrofoam, a step towards environmental responsibility. The process involves breaking down the Styrofoam into a reusable liquified state, from which it can be molded into building materials, insulation, and more.

• Drop-Off Details: The project hosts a monthly booth near the Sustainable Food Center Market at the Burger Center, with upcoming dates in September, October, and November.

• About Rotary International: The Austin-Southwest chapter is part of the global Rotary network, promoting peace, fighting disease, providing clean water, supporting education, and growing local economies, in addition to their ecological initiatives.