Recyling 101

One day recently I took myself to DeKalb County's Resource Room at Northlake Mall for a presentation on recyling in DeKalb. When I arrived, there was our own Tommy Conlon. Hello, Tommy! And thanks, Mayor Kathie, for sending the time and date of the talk out on the Pine Lake e-lists.

The title was Recyling 101. The presenter was an enthusiastic young woman named Laurene Hamilton.

Dekalb's recyling program has been in effect since 2006.Material to be recycled is placed in blue recycle bins or blue plastic bags and picked up twice weekly at residences by county employees driving county vehicles and taken to SP Recycling in Forest Park. There is no charge for this service.

There is a charge for businesses, but it's far less than the cost for removing garbage.

Here in Pine Lake we use BFI, I believe, for our recycling; the cost is paid by the city. Material to be recycled is picked up once per week, the same day as the trash-- Thursdays, at present.

According to Tommy, the city opted out of the county's program so we wouldn't have big trucks on our street twice per week-- but Laurene said she was sure we could work things out so recyle collections woiuld be just once per week. I hope that can be done-- it would free up quite a bit of money.

So-- what can be recycled?

Answer-- more than you might think. But let's talk about what the county doesn't want.

The biggie is plastic film-- garbage bags, the bags inside cereal boxes, Saran Wrap, the plastic skins that cover produce and containers of meat. That gums up the machinery at SP Recyling, so the County doesn't want that. Fortunately, just about every grocery store has a bin next to its doors just for plastic film.

Food waste isn't wanted, but happily, it's easy to compost, turning your old steaks, apple cores, and stale crackers into rich, loamy dirt. I'm planning on building or buying a composter for my tiny yard. 

Electronics are also not wanted for pickup. We're talking television sets, radios computers and computer components, stereo gear, MP3 players, old car stereos. Happily, the county accepts electronic materials at two sites-- nearby 3643 Camp Circle and 4203 Clevemont Road in Ellenwood. Hours are 8 am through 5 pm Monday through Friday (Camp Circle) and 8 and 4 Monday through Saturday (Clevemont). Phone numbers are 404-372-2654 for Camp Circle and 404-244-4842 for the Ellenwood location.

Also not accepted:

tissue paper

paper towels

waxed paper

foil wrappers

foam rubber

non-numbered plastics

ceramic containers

cleaning wipes

paper plates

petroleum or oil containers

styrofoam

srings, twine, or strapping

pane glass or windows

It's not necessary to wash bottles to be recycled, but it is helpful to rinse them before putting them in the recycle bin.

 The county makes a LOT of money for recycling, so if you're not separating your recyclables from your garbage, please do. 

If you have questions about recycling, calle Laurene Hamilton at the DeKalb Sanitation Division at 404-371-2654 or e-mail her at lbhamilton@dekalbcountyga.gov.

To learn more about recycling, visit www.earth911.com, www.dekalbrecycles.com, and www.keepdekalbbeautiful.org