Ground broken for hard to recycle materials facility

Live Thrive Atlanta in partnership with the Atlanta City Council held a groundbreaking ceremony last month for CHaRM, a Center for Hard to Recycle Materials.

The CHaRM facility, located at 1110 Hill Street in Chosewood Park, will serve residents by providing a permanent drop-off facility for recyclables and harmful items that are not accepted in the current curbside recycling program. These types of items include paint, polystyrene (Styrofoam), pesticides, chemicals, light bulbs, clothing, shoes, mattresses, tires, batteries, carpet, etc. CHaRM will also collect single stream recyclables.

CHaRM will offer educational opportunities to community organizations about the importance of proper disposal/recycling of hard to recycle materials. Schools will also be targeted to explain the impact that these items may have on the environment if not properly handled.

Councilmember Carla Smith, who jointly sponsored legislation with Councilmember Alex Wan, said “I have been a long time champion for the proper disposal of hard to recycle materials in District 1 and Atlanta. I am happy to partner with Live Thrive on this project. Live Thrive has worked with us for years during my annual Electronic Recycling events. I know that this partnership will do well for Atlanta residents.”

The CHaRM facility is expected to be operational in January and will a “Bring One for the Chipper” Christmas tree recycling event on Jan. 3. Residents can also bring cardboard boxes, styrofoam and used electronics. For more about CHaRM visit livethrive.org/charm.

A Really Good Strut, Westside Provisions District’s fall fashion show, raised $10,000 to support Friends of Atlanta Waterworks , a Park Pride “Friends of the Park” group working to re-open the Waterworks Preserve greenspace on the city’s Westside. The park was closed before the Olympics as a security measure because of its proximity to the water treatment facility, but was never reopened. In addition to providing locals and visitors more outdoor space to enjoy in the rapidly growing Westside neighborhood, this effort encompasses a variety of other improvement projects. The plan includes initiatives to renovate the nearly centuryold Waterworks facility as well as implement a system to increase the city’s water supply to ensure quality drinking water for years to come. With this new system, water will be pumped from the Chattahoochee River to the new connection at the Bellwood Quarry, with an extension through the Waterworks property, increasing the city’s water supply from the current seven-day reserve to more than 30 days. For more information, visit facebook.com/AtlantaWaterworksPark.

In partnership with GreenPrint, LLC, Trees Atlanta is encouraging Atlanta drivers to join a new consumer-friendly program, ZERO Clean Driving , with the aim of generating more environmentally conscious drivers and planting more trees in Atlanta’s urban forest. GreenPrint’s initial pilot program will provide consumers with the ability to fill their tanks with the world’s first Carbon Neutral Gasoline, ZERO. Atlanta is the first city in which this patent-pending product will be tested. The ZERO Clean Driving program will plant trees locally and invest in other green and alternative energy projects in order to neutralize the carbon emissions from Atlantan’s vehicles. The metro BP stations participating in the pilot are located at 610 Spring St. (at North Avenue), 5018 Peachtree Industrial, 1465 Holcomb Bridge Road and 3700 Old Alabama.

MARTA is installing three bike maintenance and repair kiosks at local stations, starting with Five Points station. According to Creative Loafing, MARTA partnered with ioby, which helps fundraising campaigns, to help pull secure cash for the project. The kiosks will give cyclists the option to fix flat tires, loose handlebars, broken chains and other problems. The location of the other two kiosks will be announced soon.