The city of Dallas Environmental Education Initiative is hosting the Recycle Relay July 12 at 8 a.m. at the Trinity River Audubon Center in Dallas. 

July 8, 2014

By Julie Thibodeaux

Learn about recycling while enjoying a scenic jog or stroll to the river on Saturday.

The city of Dallas Environmental Education Initiative, a community outreach program that provides education on water conservation and recycling, is hosting the Recycle Relay July 12 at 8 a.m. at the Trinity River Audubon Center.

Participants are invited to walk, run, bike or skate the one-mile course. The free event is open to all ages. Strollers welcome.

As part of the educational component of the walk, participants will given trash and be asked to deposit it in the correct bin at the end of the walk.

“A lot of people don’t realize what you and can’t recycle,” said Victoria Serna, organizer for the run. 

The city of Dallas accepts all plastics 1-7, metals, glass, paper products and cartons. It also has four drop-off locations for electronic waste. It does not accept styrofoam, plastic bags, metal hangers or hoses.

According to the EPA, Americans recycle about 34 of the waste they generate. An increasing number of cities, including Dallas and Austin, have long-range goals of becoming zero waste cities.

San Francisco, which has aims to achieve zero waste by 2020, has reportedly already increased landfill diversion to 80 percent.

According the city of Dallas website, more than 50 percent of what gets tossed into the garbage is, literally, too good to throw away. 

Recyclables can either be sold to a processor or be used directly by the city, in place of a more costly alternative. Plastics, for example, sell for approximately $165 per ton. Meanwhile, used glass has very little market value, but the city can crush and use it instead of buying expensive gravel.

In addition to the walk/run, the Trinity River Audubon Center Exhibition Hall will feature hands-on exhibits that illustrate the recycling process in Dallas.

“We’ll talk to participants about “closing the [recycling] loop” as they complete the loop from their cars and back again on the trails,” said Serna.

See the complete list of recyclables that the city of Dallas accepts.


Julie Thibodeaux is the Managing Editor for Green Source DFW. Previously, she worked as an editor and writer at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Contact her at Julie@greensourcedfw.org.

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