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Passion for conservation City Council
schedules annual retreat
Keep North Fulton Beautiful director rebrands organization By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — In a post-Christmas, post-processing day rush, dozens of cars made their way to Keep North Fulton Beautiful’s small recycling site on Morgan Falls Road. While the cardboard bin had been empty earlier that morning, it quickly started overflowing, many boxes marked by Amazon’s logo. As one truck left the lot carrying a week’s worth of cardboard, Keep North Fulton Beautiful Executive Director Ryder Leary said the nonprofit recycles around 50 bales a week, each packed cube weighing about 600 pounds. He said cardboard is the No. 1 recycled material there, and more of it is coming through which he attributed to the popularity of Amazon, Walmart and other delivery services. Leary said there’s been about a 25 percent increase in total tonnage of recycled product in the last quarter. For regular drop-off, anyone can come to the recycling center in Sandy Springs. While some cities in North Fulton have their own recycling sites. Roswell has a comprehensive site exclusive to Roswell residents. People from other cities who don’t have curbside pick-up rely on Keep North Fulton Beautiful. “If you want to drive up here from Miami and drop stuff off, you’re more than welcome to,” Leary said.
See RECYCLE, Page 6
AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA
Ryder Leary, executive director of Keep North Fulton Beautiful, stands in front of people recycling materials, from cardboard to glass. Drop-off services are open to everyone, though some special events are exclusive to Sandy Springs and Johns Creek.
More information
For questions about recycling services at Keep North Fulton Beautiful, visit keepnorthfultonbeautiful.org or call 770-551-7766. Recycling tips can be found at earth911.com.
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JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — This year, the Johns Creek City Council is heading to Columbus, Georgia, for its annual retreat where members will discuss strategic priorities for 2024. The first working day is set for Saturday, Jan. 27, at the Marriott on Front Avenue, when they will also go on a walking tour of Columbus. The following day, the council will reconvene for a half-day work session to establish a list of key focuses for the year to come. The agenda for the retreat has yet to be finalized. Last year, the council visited Greenville, South Carolina, settling on five strategic priorities for 2023 — again focusing on the city’s Town Center, but also its recreation and parks system, overall economic development, Creekside Park and municipal elections. That January, councilmembers also pulled inspiration from a walking tour of Greenville, figuring out ways to implement the city’s best features in their own hometown. — Amber Perry
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