Do you know how many people attend the Austin City Limits Music Festival in Austin, Tx? A lot. As in, HALF A MILLION PEOPLE lot. And that many people consuming that many foods and drinks generate a lot of trash and recyclables.

In order to clean up the act (pun intended) of the festival, Austin Parks Foundation (APF) is presenting Rock & Recycle during both weekends of ACL Fest at Zilker Park. Rock & Recycle encourages festival attendees to pick up a bag of recyclables from the grounds in exchange for a specially designed ACL Fest line-up tee. Divert It! enlists volunteers to encourage and educate fans by helping them compost, recycle and send less waste to landfills.

These programs are made possible by a team of 300+ volunteers. Volunteers spread the word about the Rock & Recycle mission and encourage fans to get involved. PLUS all volunteers get to enjoy the festival before or after their shift! Applications for greening volunteers are still open at this link, and then click on “Become a Member”.

“As the official partner and beneficiary of ACL Fest, we’re thrilled to have a larger presence at the festival presenting Rock & Recycle and DivertIt!, ” said Colin Wallis, CEO of Austin Parks Foundation. “Through these programs, we have an opportunity to educate and involve festival goers in greening efforts both at the festival and within the city. The thousands of festival goers and dedicated volunteers who aid in festival upkeep are an integral part of making recycling accessible in all of Austin’s parks and green spaces.”

Rock & Recycle has been ACL Fest’s signature greening program for many years, while Divert It! is a newer sustainability program focused on composting, which APF is also proud to present. In addition to receiving a commemorative ACL Fest t-shirt designed by local artists, participants in the Rock & Recycle program also earn a chance to win a Fairdale bike and two 3-day tickets to ACL Fest 2019. Plus, APF will set aside $5 per participant for the Recycling in Parks initiative, which aims to provide recycling in all of Austin’s more than 300 parks. Divert It! enlists volunteers to encourage and educate fans by helping them compost, recycle, and send less waste to landfills. Rock & Recycle and Divert It! are made possible by a team of more than 300 volunteers. APF invites festival attendees to join their sustainability efforts.

This year, APF is partnering with the following organizations focused on environment, public space, and community engagement:

● Recycling Tour: In partnership with HOPE (of the HOPE outdoor gallery), APF is placing 12 artist-designed recycling bins throughout the park. Festival attendees can visit each of the 12 bins to learn a little about APF’s recycling efforts, ACL’s greening programs, and more.

● Keep Austin Beautiful Relays: Keep Austin Beautiful will teach fans about how litter travels fast in our urban watershed, as well as how to properly recycle and compost with a fun relay race activity.

● Don’t Mess With Texas: TXDOT’s signature litter abatement campaign will have bins on-site to remind festival attendees that our parks, trails, and green spaces are no place for litter.

● Kammok Lounge: This local Austin brand, focused on community and the great outdoors, promotes access to thriving public green spaces and will host festival goers in a shady hammock lounge in partnership with NIDO structures.

● Live Painting with HOPE: The artists that design the 12 recycling tour bins, and special Rock & Recycle line-up tees will be on site each day of the festival. Fans can stop by to watch the masters work!

In 2017, over 300 volunteers participated in the Rock & Recycle program and more than 3,000 Fest attendees engaged with APF’s activities. Thanks to these efforts, APF was able to contribute $16,455 to their Recycling in Parks initiative.

For the past 13 years, APF has been the presenting partner and primary beneficiary of ACL Fest. The festival has contributed more than $30 million to Austin’s parks system, making necessary improvements possible to parks, pools, rec centers, trails, and greenbelts. Through the partnership between APF and ACL Fest, major renovations have been made to beloved spaces in the city, including Auditorium Shores, Republic Square, and more.

For more information on Rock & Recycle and Austin Parks Foundation’s programs during ACL Fest 2018, visit www.austinparks.org/aclfest.

Austin Parks Foundation's Rock & Recycle for the Second Year at ACL