| External
Website
www.acc-recycle.org
Administration &
Customer Service
706-613-3501
706-613-3504 [Fax]
Litter
Hotline
706-613-3506
Recycling
Division
706-613-3512
Hours
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Solid
Waste Director
Jim Corley
Location
1005 College Avenue
Location Map
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 1868
Athens, GA 30603 |
|
 NEW! The Solid Waste Citizen Advisory Committee (SWCAC) is currently seeking members. The SWCAC evaluates the community’s solid waste management needs and meets four times yearly to discuss the solid waste needs of Athens-Clarke County.
If you are interested in attending the next meeting, please join the committee on Wednesday, August 20th at 5:30 p.m. at the ACC Recycling Facility. If you have any questions, please contact the ACC Recycling Division at 706-613-3512.
NEW! The fourth annual Regional Teacher Reuse Store will open on Saturday, August 9, 2008 from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. at the Athens-Clark County Recycling Facility (699 Hancock Industrial Way). The Teacher Reuse Store is a collaboration of business, industry, education, and government partnerships and provides reuse of business and industry discards and/or by-products.
The goal of the Teacher Reuse Store is to provide usable materials to teachers for no cost and reduce the amount of waste disposed at our local landfill. The store will provide a variety of items to local teachers (Clarke, Madison, Oconee and Oglethorpe County teachers in both public and private schools) for FREE.
Currently, the organizers are seeking general office supplies and other items that might be useful for art supplies, classroom organization, and other school functions. All donations are needed by Monday, August 4, 2008.
If a business, industry or individual is interested in donating items, please contact the ACC Recycling Division by phone at (706) 613-3512 or by e-mail at suki@acc-recycle.org.
Beginning July 1, Leaf and Limb collections will operate on an eight week cycle instead of the current six week cycle.
Visit www.acc-recycle.org for updated calendars and more information.
A series of 40 Cigarette Litter Receptacles (CLRs) locally designed by Athens Design Development (ADD) have been installed on parking meters and light poles in a pilot area of downtown Athens. The CLRs, pronounced are meant to provide a means for cigarette smokers to dispose of their used cigarettes in an eye-catching receptacle that is unique to Athens.
The pilot area includes the South side of West Washington Street from Pulaski Street to College Avenue, both sides of North Lumpkin Street from Washington Street to Broad Street, and the South side of East Clayton Street from Lumpkin Street to College Avenue.
The CLRs are implemented by the Athens-Clarke County Solid Waste Department’s Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful program with assistance from the Athens-Clarke County Stormwater Management Program, the Athens-Clarke County Public Information Office, the Athens Downtown Development Authority, and the Athens Tobacco Prevention Coalition.
The group began meeting in 2006 to look into ways to address the potential increase of outdoor cigarette litter in downtown Athens resulting from the indoor smoking ban adopted in 2005. After researching available commercial cigarette litter disposal options, the group opted to collaborate with Athens-based ADD to produce a series of prototype receptacles that were evaluated and tested to produce a CLR model that was attractive and met its design criteria. The CLRs not only needed to be eye catching, but also tamper proof and easy for staff to empty. The design also needed to keep water and trash from accumulating inside.
Funding for the 40 CLRs comes from a grant from the Cigarette Litter Prevention Program of Keep America Beautiful and funds provided by the Athens Tobacco Prevention Coalition. A cigarette litter count was conducted to help determine the several adjacent blocks used for the pilot project. Receptacle locations were then selected based in part on the areas with the highest concentration of discarded cigarettes. After the CLRs are installed, a follow-up scan will be conducted to evaluate their effectiveness. The initial installation will provide information for potential expansion of the program to other areas downtown and throughout Athens-Clarke County.
As part of GreenFest, images, prototypes, cigarette litter studies, and documents from the CLR design process will be on display in the Lyndon House Arts Center at 293 Hoyt Street until June 7 during normal operating hours.
ADD formed with the mission of enriching Athens, the Northeast Georgia and national community through good design, resource information, and project implementations and production. The six members of ADD include sculptor and furniture designer Didi Dunphy of Modern Convenience, pattern designer Lou Kregel, photographer and graphic designer Michael Lachowski of Candy, photographer and building designer Carl Martin of DOC Unlimited, painter and building designer Carol John of DOC Unlimited, and product designer and UGA professor of digital media Michael Oliveri. ADD recently designed the Blazberry Hwy. sculpture/bus shelter on the Atlanta Highway for the “You, Me and the Bus” competition sponsored by the Athens Area Arts Council and the Athens Transit System.
Athens-Clarke County Recycling Division’s – Recyclers of the Year Announced
On Friday, April 18, 2008 the Athens-Clarke County (ACC) Recycling Division will recognize the ACC Recyclers of the Year at the 4th Annual GreenFest Awards Ceremony. The ceremony reception starts at 5:30 p.m. and the awards ceremony starts at 6:15 p.m. at the Lyndon House Arts Center. The 2008 winners are as follows:
Industry Recycler of the Year is AT&T
AT&T sends approximately, 24,000 pounds of metals, 200 pounds of plastics, 400 pounds of cardboard, 100 pounds of batteries and 800 pounds of paper to be recycled monthly.
Business Recycler of the Year is Fairway Outdoor Advertising
Over the past year, Fairway has introduced several “green” initiatives and also donated materials and space for the “Think at the Sink” campaign to promote water conservation and Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful’s “Cigarette Fairy” campaign promoting litter reduction.
School Recycler of the Year – Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School
Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School (OAES) began its recycling program in earnest during the 2006-07 school year. By January, OAES had collected 323,668 pieces of plastic.
Individual Recycler of the Year – Frances Lang
Frances tirelessly looks for ways to reuse and recycle all her personal items AND the items at her place of employment, Jo-Ann Fabrics.
For more information about the event, call the Athens-Clarke County Recycling Division at
(706) 613-3512 or visit www.acc-recycle.org and click special events.
The newest installment of the ACC Recycling Division TrashTalk Podcast (on carbon footprints) is available for download via iTunes or at the Solid Waste external Web site.
Alkaline batteries can now be recycled
at the Solid Waste Department on College Ave. or the Recycling Facility (699 Hancock Industrial Way).
In order to conserve water during the extreme drought affecting Athens-Clarke County, the ACC Recycling Division is encouraging the temporary use of environmentally-preferred disposable products and single-use recyclables by businesses until the water situation has improved. Single-use beverage containers that are recyclable – aluminum, plastic #1 or #2, or glass – are preferred over disposables, but the links below provide a brief list of environmentally-friendly disposables:
http://www.treecycle.com/index.html - Environmentally-friendly office and business disposables made from sustainable materials such as unbleached sugarcane and PLA (polylactide), a polymer resembling clear plastic that is made from corn and is biodegradable and compostable.
http://www.worldcentric.org/store/tableware.htm - Sugarcane tree-free disposables.
Plastic and paper cups, plates, and cutlery – whether environmentally friendly or not – are not accepted in the Athens-Clarke County recycling program. These items contaminate the recyclables, lessening the quality and revenue made from the recyclables.
Whether used at home or at businesses, any recyclable materials should only be rinsed with minimal water to prevent odors and attracting insects. Plastics with food residue may need wiping, but water should not be overused to rinse them. Glass and metal container processing for recycling occurs at such high temperatures that food residue is vaporized and does not need special removal.
Georgia is home to many recycling markets, especially paper. Recycling one ton of paper saves 7,000 gallons of water, which is half the amount needed to manufacture a ton of virgin paper. Consumers and businesses are encouraged to buy recycled content products and reuse and recycle those products when finished.
For additional information, contact the ACC Recycling Division at 706-613-3512.
Firehall 4 Animal Hospital, located at 815 Hawthorne Avenue, was named October's Beautiful Business of the Month. Congratulations!
Bags For Bears, a new community-wide program, works to create composite, plastic lumber from recycled plastic grocery bags and wraps. Starting October 1, community residents can recycle these goods at several locations, including the ACC Recycling Center on Hancock Industrial Way, the ACC Solid Waste Department on College Ave., Bishop Park, Bear Hollow and Memorial Park, and Sandy Creek Nature Center. If the goal of 405,000 bags or 6,500 pounds is met by December 31st, Trex, Inc. will donate the lumber to Bear Hollow. Area schools may also get involved and the top five producing schools will win prizes from ACC Recycling Division and Bear Hollow.
After one month of the program, local residents, businesses and schools have collected over 175,000 bags. Call Bear Hollow at 706-613-3616 or ACC Recycling Division at 705-613-3512 for additional information.
 The ACC Solid Waste Department’s Recycling Division has published its 2007 Fiscal Year Annual Report. The report shows that the community’s investment in waste reduction and recycling activities is paying off by saving valuable landfill space and money, as well as providing other environmental benefits to the community. These deductions contribute to the reduction of Clarke County’s carbon footprint. The complete annual report is available at
www.acc-recycle.org.
Hardback book recycling is now available! Residents and businesses can now recycle their hardcover books for free at the Athens-Clarke County Landfill, located at 3700 Lexington Road in Athens. For more information about this program, residents should call the ACC Recycling Division at 706-613-3512 or visit www.acc-recycle.org.
Changes have been made to the trash and recycling collection bags for the Downtown Business District, to make the collection of recyclables more efficient. Effective immediately the bags for garbage are clear with black text, and the bags for recycling are clear with green text. For additional information, contact Solid Waste at 706-613-3501 extension 0 or visit www.acc-recycle.org.
Athens-Clarke County ordinance states that all loads of trash and debris must be completely covered. This coverage must provide a secure method of preventing contents or litter from dropping or escaping from the vehicle during movement.
Beginning immediately, all loads of trash to be dropped off at the ACC Landfill must be covered. If loads arrive uncovered, drivers will be refused admittance to the landfill and not allowed to drop off their load.
For more information, call the Athens-Clarke County Landfill at 706-613-3508.
The second episode of the ACC Recycling Division's new Trash Talk Podcast is available for download at www.acc-recycle.org/trashtalk and features information on household hazardous wastes and making your own environmentally friendly cleaners. In the podcasts, the Recycling Division answers waste- and
environmental-related questions from citizens, while discussing new and existing programs for
the community. The podcasts also feature waste-related songs. For details, or to submit songs or questions, e-mail andrew@acc-recycle.org or call 706-613-3512.
List of approved residential and commercial haulers in Athens-Clarke County
ACC 2007 Recyclers of the Year
- Industry Recycler of the Year: Merial Limited. Merial Limited-Athens develops and produces animal vaccines. In addition to traditional recycling, Merial investigates new alternatives. As a result, we introduced a new plastics recycling program in August 2006. ACC Recycling Division is only able to take consumer plastics (#1 and #2) but we have fund a company in Gainesville that accepts all plastics, even stretch wrap and plastic bags. There is no cost to Merial for this new program – the plastics company stages a trailer at our site, sends us large boxes, and picks up the trailer when it is full. Since August, we have sent them 26,020 pounds of plastic.
- Business Recycler of the Year: burton+BURTON. Each day, burton + BURTON generates tons of paper and cardboard in its operation as one of the largest suppliers of balloons and coordinating gifts in the world. They process container loads of product in cardboard boxes that must be repackaged into smaller units prior to being shipped to customers. They also internally produce product catalogs year-round that generate a lot of paper as part of the design and proofing process. In order to reduce the environmental impact of their operations, they have implemented an extensive recycling program. They operate two vertical and one horizontal baler between two warehouses. These efforts allow them to recycle approximately 15,000 to 20,000 pounds of cardboard, shred, paper and plastic every day. Aluminum cans and tabs are collected and donated to an area church as part of a fund-raising/recycle program. Recyclable batteries and printer cartridges are collected and taken to retail outlets that collect such materials.
- ACC School Recycler of the Year: Barrow Elementary School
ACC Individual Recycler of the Year: Ms. Elizabeth Goddard, Barrow Elementary's head custodian
Barrow Elementary has been an ACC Green School since the program began. One of the most successful components of the ACC Green School Program at Barrow Elementary is the community-wide recycling program, now entering its third year. This program includes community outreach, service-learning projects, parent partnerships, and environmental education. Barrow Elementary's success would not be possible without the time and talent of Ms. Elizabeth Goddard, head custodian, and her commitment to recycling at Barrow Elementary.
For more information about the event, call the Athens-Clarke County Recycling Division at 706-613-3512 or visit our web site at www.acc-recycle.org and click special events.
Among
those honored at the 28th Annual Keep Georgia Beautiful Awards
Luncheon in October was Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful, which
received a 1st Place State Award for the Cigarette
Fairy Litter Prevention Campaign.
The Litter Prevention Category recognizes
educational and remedial efforts designed to change attitudes and
behaviors, resulting in a positive impact on a community.
KACCB created the Cigarette Fairy public awareness campaign as
a creative and innovative way to address the problem of cigarette
butt litter.
The campaign highlights a make-believe fairy who picks
up discarded cigarette butts from the ground. The campaign was
meant to bring attention to cigarette butts as litter and to remind
citizens who smoke to dispose of their cigarette waste properly,
as cigarette butts do not disintegrate over time.
The Cigarette
Fairy public awareness campaign can be seen on UGA buses, Athens
Transit buses, Fairway billboards, Beechwood Stadium Cinemas screens,
Georgia Square Cinema screens, ACTV, eight cable channels, selected
downtown bars, businesses, and newspapers.
Phonebooks for recycling
can
be placed in the paper recycling bins in your office, curbside
collection at home, or at one of seven drop-off locations around
Athens.
Keep Athens-Clarke County
Beautiful (KACCB) was presented the National Rogers Award
for outstanding television public service announcements
at the 2005 Keep America Beautiful National Awards ceremony in Orlando,
FL.
Visit the Keep
Athens-Clarke County Beautiful Web site for more information.
Please report missed
garbage and/or recycling within 24 hours of your scheduled
pick-up. Just call 706-613-3501, extension 0.
Please give our drivers and
collectors a hand by following these trash tips:
- All garbage must be bagged - no loose garbage
will be accepted. Loose trash can become litter!
- Don't allow water to accumulate in the garbage can
- it becomes too heavy to liftand/or move.
- Construction and demolition (C&D) debris
(example - wood, shingles, drywall,
etc.) should not be placed in your trash can.
Please contact the ACC Landfill for proper disposal of C&D
material at 706-613-3508.
- Blue bag customers - please don't place more than 40
pounds of garbage in the blue bags (and no more than
40 pounds of recyclables in clear bags).
These tips help our drivers
and collectors stay safe and our community clean. For additional
information, contact the ACC Solid Waste office at 706-613-3501,
extension 0.
Full
cost of providing solid waste management services
ACC Residents can
now recycle their old electronics
for free on a regular basis. Bring your electronics to the ACC Landfill
located on 5700 Lexington Rd. between 7:30 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. on
Mon-Fri, or between 7:30 A.M. and 3:00 P.M. on Saturdays.
The Glass
Packaging Institute has featured Athens-Clarke County's commercial
curbside recycling program in the downtown area as a
model program.
Residents are required to use PAPER LAWN REFUSE
BAGS for all grass clippings, pine straw, small brush,
and leaves. No plastic bags will be accepted. Paper lawn refuse
bags are available in the Home and Garden section of Target, Wal-Mart,
and other local retail stores.
Awards
Activities
The ACC Solid Waste Department provides garbage and recycling
services to approximately 8,600 residents in the Urban Services
District. We provide garbage and recycling services for approximately
350 commercial businesses in the downtown area and also provide
garbage and recycling dumpster services to another 300 businesses
in the community. In order to provide recycling opportunities to
all residents of the county, the ACC Recycling Division operates
7 recycling drop-off
centers conveniently located throughout the county. The recycling
drop-off centers are open seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
Keep Athens-Clarke
County Beautiful
Executive Director: Stacee Ferrell
(706) 613-3501
Formerly a secondary agency, KACCB is now a part of the Solid Waste
Department. Their mission is to work towards a cleaner, more beautiful
community by improving attitudes and behaviors regarding the environment.
They handle neighborhood cleanups, Adopt-a-Highway Programs, Christmas
Tree recycling and more.
Materials Recycling Facility
699 Hancock Industrial Way
7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
(706) 613-3512 [Recycling Division]
Waste Reduction Manager: Suki Janssen
The MRF opened on August 31, 1995 as the first public-private partnership
facility of its kind in Georgia. Only private and public-sector
haulers may deliver recyclables to this facility. It is not open
to the public. The facility is owned and operated by FCR, Inc. and
located on ACC owned land. Tours and educational programs are available
by request; please call (706) 613-3512 to schedule a visit.
Landfill
5700 Lexington Road
(706) 613-3508
Manager: Brad Rickard
Solid Waste Citizens Advisory Committee
The SWCAC is the ONLY committee formed during Athens and Clarke
County government unification that is still in existence. It celebrated
its 10th anniversary in January 2002. A fact sheet is available
in our documents section. |
