A COFFEE WITH ...

Working to make recycling a larger part of area's plan

By Kaitlin Ballard
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Thursday, May 07, 2009

In the middle of the night Bob McGivney found himself driving through town with a truck full of flowers. He wasn't going to surprise his girlfriend or decorate his home — he was recycling them.

His midnight run sprouted from a lazy summer afternoon at Barton Springs with friends, one of whom was a wedding planner. While talking to her, he found out that all the flowers used at weddings — including one that was coming up — are typically thrown away, despite their weeklong lifespan after an event.

Disheartened by this news, McGivney, 34, decided take them to a local hospice center and give them new life. "I showed up at midnight after the wedding, picked them all up and had a pickup full of flowers. That's pretty much how it started," McGivney said while enjoying a Fireman's #4 at Jo's on South Congress.

Wandering River Recycling began in June 2008. But recycling had always been a part of McGivney's life, especially in San Francisco, where he lived for 15 years after graduating high school in San Antonio.

Throughout his years as a bartender and waiter in the Golden Gate City, McGivney never had a problem recycling on the job.

"In San Francisco, recycling is just a part of how you throw things away. On the curb of the restaurant, there were always three bins: one for garbage, one for compost and another for recycling — and the garbage bin was the smallest of the three."

This practice resonated with McGivney when he moved to Austin three years ago. He noticed that though Austin recycles, the scale is much smaller than in San Francisco.

Through his work in advertising and dealing with business owners, McGivney realized Austin does not offer recycling for small to medium-size businesses or for apartment complexes with 100 tenants or fewer. Even if they wanted to recycle, it's expensive and not everything is picked up.

Initially, it began with the flowers, but Wandering River, which traces its name from the twists and bends of the Colorado River, picked up Lamberts in the Second Street District as its first client. McGivney would wake up early before work at his full-time job and head over to pick up the assorted recyclables. He would then take them over to Ecology Action, a local nonprofit recycling center in East Austin.

He was surprised to find more than just himself up early taking recyclables to the center.

McGivney not only started pickups in Austin, but also in Wimberley and Blanco. He saw a void in these small communities when visiting a friend.

After purchasing a small trailer and a few containers, McGivney set up recycling programs for small businesses, which make up most of his work. It took some trial and error, and now Wandering River recycles about a ton of material each week from Lamberts alone.

Now, for a couple of hours a week, two of McGivney's friends help with pickup.

McGivney was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma in October. At first, he continued his bimonthly trip to the Hill Country, but once treatment and radiation started, the work became too overwhelming. This wasn't easy for McGivney, whose outgoing personality thrives on being active and "getting dirty."

McGivney's close circle of friends and tight-knit family pushed him through the intense recovery process and now, within the past month, he says he lives cancer-free. He returned to work, and Wandering River is experiencing steady growth. With 22 residential clients and 12 businesses, including American Apparel and the new restaurant La Condesa, McGivney is optimistic about Austin's recycling future.

In the end, it's how you give back that makes a difference. Whether Wandering River expands to a large business or remains small, McGivney has made his footprint.

"I really think that recycling is important. It's growing in Austin, and I'm willing to get dirty doing it."