My husband and I recently purchased a condo in Northwest Austin. Besides having a fantastic view of the Hill Country, nearly every wall is painted a different color. In case we wanted to touch up these multicolored walls, the previous residents left the remaining paint. Because we will eventually repaint all the walls with a new color, we were left wondering what to do with the unwanted paint cans.

This question of "What do I do with ?" is a common one residents might have about items that should not be thrown in the trash, such as leftover household chemicals and paint, dead batteries, old computers, broken appliances and outdated electronics. Fortunately several companies in Northwest Austin and the city of Austin offer facilities where residents may recycle these items.

In my front-page article in this issue, I address how the city is growing its recycling services to divert 90 percent of waste from landfills and incinerators by 2040. To achieve this zero-waste goal city officials said they need the help of residents to chip in and do their part to keep items, such as our inherited paint cans, out of the region's landfills. For a list of local recycling services, see Page 31.

With the holidays fast approaching many residents will be shopping for gifts. Our annual gift guide provides a listing of locally owned businesses and franchises that sell a variety of items and services. See pages 25–29 for ideas on what to get your friends and family this holiday season.

Amy Denney, Editor, [email protected]