Texas Disposal Systems Field Trip

Posted on | October 28, 2008 | No Comments


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Originally uploaded by Phisch

Sorry this is so late…things have been busy. We went on Oct. 13. More photos here.)

TDS. That would be: the local landfill. I know my boys are a little unusual in that they always thought a trip to the dump with their dad was fun. The one we took trash to when we lived in CA was neat to them. After all, they got to help, they got to see what people threw away and watch the seagulls flock overhead.

But here in Texas, particularly at TDS, things are a little different. First off, there are no seagulls. Of course, since it’s central Texas it’s not likely that you’ll find sea birds this far inland but they’re usually replaced by buzzards (condors, if you prefer). But with the way this landfill works, the owners work hard at being “good neighbors” and every effort is put into making sure there are no foul odors that waft into the adjacent homes and farms.

There are other reasons this facility, entirely family-owned, is really unique. Besides having a landfill, a resale center, a sorting and recycling facility (and by facility they mean 10 guys hand-sorting to be replaced by an actual plant one day), composting development and sale, beautiful campus used for non-profits’ events (pro bono) and recycling research—deep breath—it also is a game preserve. It has several hundred head of wild game from Africa, Asia and the Americas.

They have a couple of species that are highly endangered and no longer exist in their natural habitats. The boys got a kick out of the fact that they’re free and loose, able to come up to the car windows if they wanted. They do keep some separated since some creatures can get pretty competitive or down right ornery.

When we arrived, we got the “pitch” from one of the owners about their history, their goals and how they do what they do. The boys did get bored rather quickly so they were very excited when we took the bus tour afterwards.

We had two guides, one who was a naturalist and the other the expert on garbage and what was done with it… most of the trash that they get actually gets recycled in some way, shape or form. At each step of the way, they get money. The serviceable items go straight to the resale shop which makes (I think) about $2k to $5k a week. All of the green matter they receive is turned into compost and sold to local nurseries (they can request a custom blend) or through a retail garden chain that they have purchased. The remainder of the trash is sorted; glass, paper and metal are sold to recycling companies. Building material is being handled differently: the city of Austin gives tax incentives to builders if they have TDS haul their refuse. TDS is currently researching how to efficiently convert this material, plus expired sodas and milk, into biofuel. What trash is left will be placed in a landfill which is lined with a special clay (available at their site). The landfill will eventually be topped with more clay, soil and then seeded. The animals will eventually graze over it.

The boys loved the tour, but like the rest of the bus riders, they didn’t enjoy going thru the compost area. I had to agree the smell was strong but it didn’t smell like trash, just like humus, the way a good compost pile is supposed to smell. The boys also loved seeing the large compacting machines and one of the other kids on the bus made a comment that they were just like Wall-E only bigger!

At the end of the tour, we were let out near the enclosures of their rhino (I forget its name) and the giraffe, Stretch. J was so cute (I was so proud), he just went right up and started grabbing fistfuls of grass to feed the giraffe. Or course it was happy to be fed. NM was more of an observer and stayed respectfully back. This is wise when it comes to rhinos, though apparently this one was very used to people.

We ate our lunch and then, lo and behold, the boys wanted to get on the bus again. I wasn’t too happy about the choice of seating, my son wanted to be in the back and there was no window, just the exit door. It’s ok…I gave them the camera and they both took photos and video. After that, we walked the grounds and saw just how many mounted animals they had (considerable) as well as their clay pigeon shooting area–across a walkway from a playscape.

All in all, it was a really fun day and it was interesting to see what goes on in an award-winning, ah, dump.

Category: Around Town, Homeschool
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