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Austin, Texas targets zero waste by 2040
Filed under:
recycling and composting
The Achievement
The city of Austin, Texas, hopes to reduce its landfill waste to nothing with its new zero-waste plan -- a strategy to reduce waste by reusing, recycling and composting materials instead of sending it to landfills. Austin's goal is to reduce garbage sent to landfills by 20 percent per capita by 2012 and to achieve zero waste by 2040.
The Benefits
Landfills leak methane, a potent greenhouse gas. So less waste equals less methane emitted. Also, waste reduction leads to fewer truck trips to transport garbage to landfills, which saves municipalities money and reduces greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles.
