In this weeks Austin American Statesman, it was revealed that Greenstar, the city of Austin’s recycling program partner hauls the recycling materials over 200 miles to its Garland, TX recycling facility.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/11/09/1109recycling.html
When the city of Austin was ready to move to single stream recycling Greenstar was supposed to be able to do this locally. Their San Antonio facility was not ready. Since the city switched to solid stream recycling, daily trucking to Garland for recyling has risen to 150 tons per day. Until the city restarts and completed its plans for its own facility in solid waste recycling, there is huge waste associated with the city’s recycling program. Until Austin has a better solution, ten 18 wheelers per day make their way 215 miles from Austin to Garland.
Any good plan should include a contingency and oversight. The single stream recycling plan is clearly low on both. Increased scrutiny and public pressure may increase the development of the comprehensive master plan that will address Austin’s long term needs. One can only hope that this will have more alternatives for delays and oversight than the current plan.
This is a great example of a good concept, poorly executed. Rock concerts to promote awareness of global warming that bring rock stars to concerts on private jets and limos, wasting hydrocarbons and generating emissions is another. A good portion of the problems we face right now are similar.
The mortgage crisis is classic example of poor execution and oversight. One can only hope that our national leaders are more vigilant and forward thinking than our local leaders, but history would certainly not indicate that.
As we look for solutions to energy shortages, and ways to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, I can only hope that we plan, address alternatives and execute better than this recycling plan.
Brad