Recycling on the rise at

multi-family residences in Atlanta

the Georgia Solid Waste Trust Fund, charged with funding the cleanup of abandoned scrap tire dumps and the remediation of contaminated landfills. Undoubtedly, you have paid the tire fee on numerous occasions, whether you realized it or not.

The problem is that 40 percent of the funds collected since 1993 – nearly $200 million – has been redirected by the state legislature to fund unrelated portions of the state budget. While the state has removed 15 million tires from illegal dump sites over the past 25 years, many abandoned tire sites remain untouched in the city and statewide; the number of improperly discarded tires is unknown.

The Georgia Constitution, as currently written, does not allow state legislators to “dedicate” fees to their intended use – whether to clean up environmental waste sites, fund teen driver programs or support training for peace officers. The fees collected are placed in the state general fund for allocation by state legislators as they deem fit, even though the bill creating the fee may say differently.

If a private company charges a fee to perform a certain service, but fails to do so, it is considered fraud. Unfortunately, if the Georgia legislature does the same thing, as it has done repeatedly with the redirection of fee monies collected to clean up waste

By Michelle Wiseman City of Atlanta Office of Resilience

The City of Atlanta is on the rise. As a top-tier city and consistently ranked among the most desirable places to live, Atlanta continues to grow and evolve. Everywhere you go, new buildings are coming up, especially multi-family complexes. People want to live inside the perimeter with easy access to transit, fresh food and more sustainable living. Over half of the City’s residents live in multifamily units, and this is where growth is projected for years to come.

The City of Atlanta’s multi-family residents will be getting a little greener thanks to the enforcement of an ordinance requiring that all 6+ unit multi-family buildings offer recycling services to their residents. Multi-family properties around sites, it’s considered business as usual. When the state collects fees for a specific purpose, those funds should be used for that purpose; otherwise, they can become de facto taxes.

In early December, DeKalb County discovered more than 20,000 illegally dumped tires at Fork Creek Mountain Park.

Introduced last year, House Resolution 158 proposes an amendment to the Georgia Constitution that would ensure fees dedicated to a specific purpose are annually appropriated for that purpose. If the resolution passes, the amendment will be placed on the election ballot in November 2018 for consideration by state voters.

Let’s help restore trust in our government and ensure that important state programs are properly funded by passing House Resolution 158 during the the City are now being required to set up separate recycling service for their residents.

Starting a new recycling program sounds pretty easy, but it’s not as simple as putting a few blue recycling bins out near the current trash dumpsters. Awareness and education are key. For example, multifamily recycling initiatives should include a clearly identified recycling area with labeling to explain what items can and can’t be recycled. Designate an internal recycling ambassador to encourage 100 percent participation in the complex’s recycling program.

Recycling right is critical. Initially focus on the basics; flattened boxes, paper, cans, bottles and plastic containers. Please no plastic bags, no food items & no Styrofoam. Plastic bags are the number one contaminant. They pose a special problem at the recycling center by getting caught in machinery. Please return plastic bags to retailers or CHaRM -the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (“CHaRM”), located at 1110 Hill Street, SE. Please note that while the City of Atlanta residential curbside program accepts glass for recycling, most multi-family buildings in Atlanta do not accept glass as they are serviced by private commercial haulers. However, glass is accepted at CHaRM. Several private entities will be expanding into Atlanta for glass collection by spring of 2018.

2018 session of the General Assembly. To read this bill, see legis.ga.gov/ Legislation/20172018/166121.pdf. Then, make your voice heard by contacting your state representatives and participating in our democratic process!

You can also make a personal New Year’s resolution to take your tires, holiday lights, electronics, household hazardous waste, bulky trash and other items to The Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM) in southeast Atlanta. A permanent drop-off facility that recycles and diverts thousands of pounds of waste from metro Atlanta landfills, CHaRM is holding its annual Holiday Cleanup from Jan. 2-13. For more information, visit livethrive.org/charm/.

Recycling is on the rise in Atlanta, but we need every citizen to be engaged to meet our goal of 90 percent waste diversion by 2020. Please reach out to me at mlwiseman@atlantaga.gov if you want more information or to get involved or register your building at atlantaga.gov/ multifamily.