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2008-08-28  ALPHARETTA AND ROSWELL REVUE & NEWS | Alpharetta residents recycle 20 percent of trash, cans get bigger
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| | by Bob Pepalis | |  |
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| | | (BOB PEPALIS/www.northfulton.com)
Alpharetta City Councilman John Monson, Allied Waste’s Mike Meuse and Mayor Arthur Letchas test out the new recycling bin at last week’s council meeting. (click for larger version) | |
September 03, 2008
www.northfulton.com
ALPHARETTA -- Almost 600,000 pounds of recyclables were put curb side by Alpharetta residents in July and hauled off by the city's waste and recycling hauler, Allied Waste.
That's a good number, said Mike Meuse of Allied Waste, but before the city and the company start patting themselves on the back, everyone should remember during the same month 2.26 million pounds of waste was hauled to the landfill.
Still, the recycling accounted for 20 percent of the waste hauled from Alpharetta homes. More weight on recycling trucks means the disposal bill is that much less, he said.
Allied Waste set a goal of 25 percent of waste being recycled. That requires an increase of 113,000 pounds curb side.
"It really comes down to two pounds a week more per house," Meuse said.
To help increase the amount of trash recycled, Alpharetta residents can now ask for 35-gallon recycling bins that hold a much higher volume of recyclables, are easy to roll to the curb and have lids that keep papers, newspapers and magazines from blowing away.
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| 'Alpharetta will, to my knowledge, be the only municipality in the entire metro area to provide residents with this type of cart. Everybody else still has that small, 18-gallon milk carton type thing.'
Mike Meuse
Allied Waste |
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Meuse said Alpharetta's Public Works and Finance departments preferred this new type of recycling bin to replace the current bins.
"Alpharetta will, to my knowledge, be the only municipality in the entire metro area to provide residents with this type of cart," he said. "Everybody else still has that small, 18-gallon milk carton type thing."
Paper is the key by weight, Meuse said, with magazines, phone books, old catalogs, school papers and other paper products taking up a lot of the weight in trash.
Some slight changes have been made to what is accepted for recycling since most households first received their old recycling bins, but Meuse said it will be very easy for residents to be sure what to put in the new bins – Allied has put a list of what can be recycled and what shouldn't be put in the bin right on its lid.
In addition, Allied Waste is sending out brochures during September introducing the new bins and explaining the program.
Even without publicity, 375 recycling bins had been distributed in just a few weeks. Meuse said the new bins are available on request. Call 678-407-6216 to request a new bin. Residents just need to exchange their old recycling bin when the new bin is delivered.
 View images.
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New bins
Alpharetta residents served by Allied Waste can call the city waste hauler's Alpharetta hotline at 678-407-6216 to exchange their old bin for a new, bigger reycling bin. | |
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