From Trash to a New Home - Austin Eastciders supports local farm with materials instead of sending them to the landfill

Austin Eastciders is a booming local cidery that signed up for the Austin Materials Marketplace to discover reuse opportunities for their traditional and non-traditional wastes. Recently, these materials have included a number of construction and demolition materials from a recent remodel. Like many construction projects, Eastciders had surplus materials at the end of the project  - 2x4s, plywood, beams, steel piping, conduit, and more. 

The Marketplace team assisted with taking inventory, creating listings, promoting what was available out to the Austin business community, and identifying potential takers for the materials. The team found a successful match when they reached out Taylor Farm, a small organic farm that offers eggs, meat, and fresh produce. 

Taylor Farm hosts volunteers to teach them about organic farming practices, and is in the process of creating a housing structure for the volunteers as well as a portable composting toilet. 1,000 pounds of lumber from Austin Eastciders will be used in the construction of these two structures - saving an estimated $1,888 in purchasing costs for materials as well as a reduction in operating expenses of $80/month (the price paid to rent a composting toilet). All in all, this transaction saved approximately $2,000 between the 2 businesses, diverted 29 cubic feet of materials from the landfill, and avoided 1.38 metric tons of carbon emissions that would have been emitted from creating virgin lumber. 

The Austin Materials Marketplace makes it easy for companies and organizations to collaborate on their waste materials in a way that also creates value for their business, the community, and the environment. Get your business signed up today and see what opportunities are in store for your “trash”.