As parking pay stations get upgrades, old technology finds new life

The Austin Materials Marketplace helped the Austin Transportation Department divert these old pay station doors and solar panels from the landfill - saving money and avoiding CO2 emissions.

The Austin Materials Marketplace helped the Austin Transportation Department divert these old pay station doors and solar panels from the landfill - saving money and avoiding CO2 emissions.

If you’ve paid to park at a City of Austin parking spot, you’re probably familiar with the pay stations that courteously dispense parking stickers for you to slap onto your windshield (that is, unless you’re using the parking app). Well, the trusty towers in Austin's downtown core received upgrades in September, with more efficient solar panels, new and improved batteries, front panels with color displays, and better data-crunching capabilities. What’s more – much of that old hardware is getting a second life!

Working with the Austin Materials Marketplace, the Austin Transportation Department has donated approximately 130 solar panels to local education nonprofit Hackstarz. These panels will live on as both energy sources and instructional materials for hackers and makers working with solar electronics. The Marketplace team also enabled a connection to recycle 143 pay station doors, which amounts to over 2,600 pounds of metal and plastic saved! Join the Marketplace program today to help with your business' sustainability efforts. 
 

Blog, Success StoriesKatie Duffy