Fresh Loaf

There are times in a journalist’s life when he or she feels they are simply screaming into the void. Casting information into the ether and metaphors into the vast unknown realm where ponies, wishes and jet skis go to die.

Then there are times you bring about sweeping, monumental change, and you remind yourself why you do what you do even though you live under a bridge and eat copies of your own newspaper for minimal sustenance.

Now, my friends, is one of those times.

After it originally considered scaling back its recycling and leaf-and-limb programs to offset the budget shortfall, the city today announced it will continue picking your aluminum cans as it always has. On July 7, the city discontinued its contract with Dreamsan, the private contractor that’s managed the program since 2002, and will now use city trucks to do the hauling. The move saves cash-strapped Atlanta an annual $3 million. We take full credit and if anyone says otherwise then nah nah nah.

An excerpt of the city’s announcement follows after the jump.

(more…)

Bookmark It

One of the more bothersome consequences of having a $140 million budget shortfall is the need to cut public services to save money. Which ones, and by how much? One that was proposed – and all but certain – for the chopping block was weekly pick-up of recycling. The program was outsourced to a private company and city solons had decided that reducing the service to every other week was a good way to cut costs.

Well, it seems that new Public Works Commissioner Joe Basista has figured a way out of this looming tragedy. A recent memo to the Council from Public Works explains that the city will save $3 million by un-privatizing curbside recycling (take that free-market champions!) and that city workers will happily continue to pick up cans, bottles and newspapers every week.

Atlanta homeowners had already dodged a bullet when the Council decided against scrapping yard waste pick-up. If you need further info about trash, recycling or yard waste collection, go here.

Bookmark It

City of Atlanta Councilmember Carla Smith is inviting all who possess old televisions and electronic devices — what are these VCRs of which they speak? — to haul their goods down to Turner Field on April 26 and bid them adieu. As part of its Earth Day celebration, the city will be accepting all things electronic — from keyboards to stereo speakers — from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Last year, the city collected 75,583 pounds of electronic items during the one-day e-waste recycling event. First 100 folks get a Best Buy gift card. Seriously.

That same day from 9 a.m.-noon, City Council member Natalyn Archibong and residents of her district, which includes communities from East Lake to Cabbagetown, will scour the area and look for discarded tires. Since 2002, the annual event has removed more than 6,000 tires from vacant lots, waterways and the roadside. If you’re interested, head to 815 Old Flat Shoals Rd. to participate. Residents who live in the district and wish to dispose of old tires can also do so free of charge at the location.

Bookmark It

People For The Ethical Treatment of Empty Beer Cans is giddy.

The rest of us are nervous.

The Clermont Hotel and its property are for sale.

We do not yet know if this means the Clermont Lounge, which resides at the bottom of the hotel, is going to close.

We’ll let you know as soon as we find out.

Bookmark It

Pounds of trash the average American generates daily: 3.3

Pounds of trash the average Georgian generates daily: 6.6

Tons of solid waste disposed of in Atlanta in 2003: 192,363

Tons of recycling collected in 2003: 27,910

Cost of disposing Georgia’s trash in 2004: $90 million

Value of raw materials made if that trash would have been recycled: $250 million

Amount of greenhouse gases, in million metric tons, kept out of the air in 2000 because of recycling: 32.9

Tons of garbage a StarTech Plasma Converter could annihilate in one day and convert into energy: 2,000

Cost of a StarTech Plasma Converter: $250 million

Sources: Atlanta Business Chronicle, Atlanta Department of Public Works, Popular Science, National Recycling Coalition, “Georgia Statewide Waste Characterization Study,” Georgia Department of Community Affairs

Bookmark It

Nov. 15 — it’s not just for mourning Sherman’s torching of Atlanta. Today marks America Recycles Day, and at the National Recycling Coalition, you can take a pledge and learn how to do more to help. Atlanta is slowly taking steps to bolster its residential recycling program by requiring apartment complexes to provide containers. The next step is requiring businesses to recycle. We’ll be attending a workshop tonight that will outline how businesses can take advantage of recycling programs — expect a rundown and more info tomorrow.

In the meantime, go to the National Recycling Coalition’s site and take the pledge. According to a 2005 state report, Georgians spent $90 million the previous year disposing trash that would have been worth $250 million in raw materials were they recycled. Landfills are filling up and space is getting tight. It’s time to look into making the most of what we’ve got.

Bookmark It

Atlanta City Council clarified its current recycling program and passed an ordinance Monday requiring owners of multifamily complexes — defined as those consisting of six or more living units, such as apartment complexes, condominiums, townhouses and public housing — to provide larger containers to residents for recyclables. Under the new ordinance, according to a statement released by the council, recycling containers should be “capable of holding an adequate amount of recyclable waste and no less than three gallons multiplied by the number of living units in the development.”

The city lists recycling’s many benefits, such as its conservation of energy and natural resources and role in reducing greenhouse-gas emissions and pollution. The dwindling amount of space available in landfills and the cost of herding trash there also was an impetus for the tightened requirements. “More and more landfills are being closed and both the city and state of Georgia could ultimately run out of economical and logistically feasible places to dispose of its solid waste,” the city said in a statement.

The city, by law, is required to reduce 25 percent of its waste stream.

“Recycling should be made easy and convenient for all residents of multifamily dwellings, and citizens and residents of these dwellings especially in our high-rises, have expressed a strong desire and a need to recycle,” said District 8 City Councilwoman Clair Muller, the legislation’s sponsor, in a statement. “We all must do our part for the sake of our environment.”

Owners of a multifamily dwelling or neighborhood association will also be required to submit an annual report documenting the amount and type of recyclables collected, the frequency of their collection, and the size and average number of recycling containers located on their property.

Bookmark It