tt\'\i;.w~ f'\ \N"?> ll3 THE WASTE STREAM JOURNAL A Waste Reduction Newsletter ofthe Georgia Department of Community Affairs * * * VOL. II NO. 3 SPRING 1998 **** IT'S ON US What's in a name? Talkin' Trash- El Nino Strikes Keep Georgia Beautiful * * * The Public Sector * * * The Private Sector Storm Waste Piles High Premieres T in Georgia he Sou!hern States Waste Home is where the ... Management Coalition recyclables are? Comedian still has money for its pay-as- Jeff Foxworthy's former Georgia Clean and you-throw peer matching stepmother, Gayle Foxworthy, program. If your community is building a house from 4,500 One Flood and Beautiful Changes. Name, Keeps Goals would like to be booked .up with a similar community that has a pay-as.,-you-throw bottles and aluminum cans and 900 tires she has collected. The recyclables will be coated Two Tornadoes Leave Behind Debris program (at the Coalition's with cement to form the walls After 20 years of being known as Georgia Clean and Beautiful, the first state affiliate of Keep America Beautiful has undergone a facelift and a name change. The program, whose mission is to build and sustain community environmental expense), call Kathy Baskin at (770) 242-7712. Act quickly, though-funds remain for only a few more communities. *** What landfill shortage? A recent issue of Waste News reported that many local officials in Georgia are of her three-story solar home, according to Atlanta magazine. As the head of a homeless foundation called STEP (Save the Earth and its People), she hopes the technique can be used to build low-income housing. *** The storms roaring through Georgia this spring may have come and gone quickly, but local governments still are dealing with the mess left behind. While the effect on these governments is ~ig nificant, waste diversion efforts mean the storms' activities and behaviors that worried because too much First they brought us the impact on the State's waste will result in a more beautiful landfill space is making virtual pets that die if you stream will likely be minimal. Georgia, has changed its name government-owned landfills don't care for them. Now, the Whether recycled or put into to Keep Georgia Beautiful. go bust. Ware County has Japanese have developed a a landfill, felled trees and KAB President Ray . completed two cells of a $2,5 polyester suit that never dies. flooded carpets, along with Empson encouraged name million landfill, but too much According to the February wayward shingles, 2x4s and chang~s for all state and local competition makes it issue of Resource Recycling, household items have to go affiliates to recognize their impractical to open them for Aoki International in Tokyo away. Local governments- association with the national business. For similar reasons, has introduced a men's often the solid waste directors KAB program. Lynn Cobb; Charlton County sold its polyester suit made from and recycling coordinators- Keep Georgia Beautiful landfill to Peerless Group Inc., recycled soft drink bottles. are called ori to perform the manager, says the name of Jacksonville, Fla., for Buy yours now for about $175, disappearing act. change does not change ),tit:f~iJJ the goals of the program, but ?fA V GEORGIA 1n st e ad ~EAUTIFUL establ.ishes a ~ .' more effec- tive identity among both local and state affiliates. "Keep Georgia Beautiful will continue to provide a variety of programs. and hands-on activities that help educate people to change their attitudes and behaviors regarding litter and solid waste management," said Cobb. More than half of the 56 local Georgia affiliates are $800,000 plus a percentage of tipping fees. *** DCA has updated its directory oflocal government recycling coordinators. The and then, when polyester suits go out of style, you can return FLOODING IN ALBANY it to an Aoki store to be After Albany's recent flood, recycled into buttons and Keep Albany-Dougherty linings for new suits. Beautiful Executive Director Julia Bowles gotthe job. Her *** task was to educate residents listing also includes recycling Here's yet another way litter on how to sort debris for dis- .contacts at many ofthe state's costs money: In Pennsylvania, posal or recycling. Residents See PuBuc on page 9: w were requireq to separate See PRIVATE on page 9: w debris into five different piles In This Issue and put them within three feet of their curb for pickup. Bowles said about 500 Georgia Recycling Coalition to organize Georgia Recycles Day, pg. 2. homes were affected by the Keep Georgia Beautiful recognizes contributions to improving Georgia's flood, most with two or three inches of water on the floor. environment, pg, 4. As of April 6 (three weeks New issue, same old funny letters. See acronyms, pg. 10. after the flood), about 260 ions See NAME CHANGE on pg. 5: w SEE STORMS on pg. 7: ll!F THE WASTE STREAM JOURNAL SPRING 1998 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ GRC TO TAKE OVER training session in Austin, GEORGIA RECYCLES DAY PROGRAM Texas, to learn about this year's national effort and to The Georgia Recycling Coalition (GRC) has signed a contract with DCA to take over the planning and administration of Georgia Recycles Day (GRD) activities. The second annual GRD will be held on November 15 in conjunction with America Recycles Day. DCA served as the primary sponsor and organizer of last year's statewide event. The Department will continue to serve as the primary financial sponsor and, through the contract with GRC, will continue to oversee logistics. having GRC take on such an May. During her long career get ideas for planning important role will bring more in solid waste management Georgia's effort. widespread participation." education, Mason also served Later this summer, Mason According to GRC President as executive director for expects to have complete Gloria Hardegree, the organ- Keep Florida Beautiful, Inc., information on ways com- ization is not sure yet how the and the Clean Florida munities can participate. program will be changed or Commission. Most recently, Details will appear in the expanded. "We're going to try she worked as executive next issue of The Waste to build on last year's director of the Fulton County Stream Journal. accomplishments," she said. Clean Commission. As of press time, a GRD A steering committee, which Mason will work out of an phone line had not been is being appointed this spring, office in Southeast Recycling established. For information, will provide direction for the Corporation's headquarters in call Southeast Recycling project. It will consist of Marietta. One of her first Corporation at (770) 919-7502 representatives of private assignments was to attend an and ask to be transferred to industry, State agencies and local governments. "For -ACme-r-i-ca--R.e-cDyc_leCs D_aAy _stLa_te _th_e G_R_D o_ffic_e. _ _ _ _ continuity, sorne members will HANGES AT . EAD TO "We're happy to be bethe same as last year's, and INCREASED SERVICE partnering with GRC," said Rick Brooks, director of then we'll. add some new appointees/' Hardegree said. Check out the "DCA Solid Waste Assistance" box (page 10), and you will find that several changes have taken place, from DCA's newly formed Planning GRC also created a paid individual staff positions to organizational structure to a and Environmental Management Division (see article at right). "While DCA will still position for managing the GRD program~ Barbara Mason, who served as Keep strengthened environmental focus. In a Department reorganization, the Office of Waste. Management (OWM) joined DCA's new Planning and be involved w.iih Georgia Geord~ia Beabutiful's firski~ sta~e Environmental Management Division, led by Director Rick Recycles Day, we hope that coor mator' egan wor ng m . Brooks. The d"1v1 s1 0n' s primary respons1"b"1l"1ties are 1oca1 --------,--------.---.----~-.- The Real Cleanup stickers, h~ter bags, coloring + government comprehensive planning; solid waste management planning; technical assistance and education; and environmental Hitters Go to Work booksandhtterlawbrochures, management ~upport. to. volunteers. and sc.~~ol Until the new organizatibnal structure took effect on April 1,. More than 250. organ- children. Some commumties OWM was under DCA's Planning, Information and Management izations participated in the even posted roadblo~ks to hand Division, led by Paul Radford. Radford is now directing the 1998 "Let's Keep Georgia ou~ the ~aterials . and . newly formed Division of External Affairs. This division will Peachy Clean" Statewide to mform :esidents of_c~ty or work with DCA's 11 new regional offices, which will promote Cleanup Week, April 18-25. ~ouno/ ordin~ces pertauu~g to regional and rural development. Two DCA employees and two Numerous events, including littenng and 1~legal dumpmg. employees of the. Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism litter cleanups, tree plantings, The Geor~rn Peachy Clean will staff each new office. beautification of vacant lots . Team combmes the efforts of Several OWM staff changes are also taking effect this spring: and the removal of illegal DCA, DOT? DNR,. GEFA, Mark Bryant, a consultant in the Waste Reduction and dump sites, were held in 115 Keep Georgia Beau~iful, the . Government Assistance Section, will become the manager for of Georgia's 159 counties. . Department of, Pubhc Safety DCA's new region office in Rome. He will still be available, These organizations also an~ _the state s local KAB on a limited basis, to offer solid waste management assistance handed out materials supplied affiliates.. Look for !~rther for communities in his region. by the Georgia Peachy Clean coverage m the next edition of Bonnie Fryer, formerly research assistant for OWM, is now Team, including bumper The Waste Stream Journal. program coordinator for GHEP and a consultant in the Waste . Reduction and GovernmentAssistarice Section. (Jeff Darrow, who had managed GHEP, has joined the private sector.) Patti Insinna, a long-time DCA employee, has moved into the research assistant position. Residents ofKite ' pitched in during "Keep Georgia "I'm excited about the changes at DCA," said OWM Director Leamon Scott. "We will certainly miss the staff members who have moved on, but they have helped lay a solid foundation for Peachy Clean" Cleanup Week. our waste management programs. With the reorganization, we are exploring the idea of expanding our focus so we can assist local governments where they need help most." 2 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - GEORGIADEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AFFAIRS LEGISLATORS ENHANCE STATE Buv RECYCLED EFFORTS; REJECT BOTTLE BILL Georgia and to extend ways of recycling high collection of the fee past its volumes of tires and economic current sunset date of incentives for reusing or The Georgia General report their use of recycled June 30, 2000. recycling tires. Assembly considered three content paper to DOAS. Any The Solid Waste Trust As a result, EPD and P2AD key recycling and solid waste of these organizations that Fund, financed by those fees, contracted with Georgia issues during its 1998 session. show they have met the is the primary source of funds State University Emeri~us THE HIGHLYPUBLICIZED requirements for two con~ for education, enforcement Professor of Economics Ron "BOTTLE BILL," which secutive years will no longer and cleanups related to scrap Cummings to write a report would have required a 10 be required to report; however, tires. It also funds other solid entitled "Economic Study of deposit on most beverage those organizations will waste management grants and Alternatives for Management containers in an effort be subject to periodic audits programs. Because EPD has of Scrap Tire.s in the State of to increase recyeling and by DOAS to ensure nearly accomplished the goals Georgia." The report will look reduce litter, fa~led to continued compliance. (For of cleaning up illegal scrap _at many options for recycling get out. of Senate more information on DOAS tire piles and managing and reusing tires, as well as subcommittee. Introduced by activities, see article on disposal and recycling of ways of controlling and Senator Donzella James page 9.) scrap tires, the value of funding scrap tire recycling (D-College Park), the bill The 1998 legislature also continuing the fee and Trust and disposal. grew out of a. Senate addressed issues related to the Fund were debated. According to the House Recycling and Economic SCRAP TIRE MANAGEMENT In 1998, the House of Resolution, conclusions Development Study Com- FEE AND THE SOLID WASTE Representatives passed a of this study will be used mittee she chaired in 1996. TRUST FUND. Conflicting hills resolution to give direction to determine, before the First introduced in the 1997 had been introduced during the untir a conclusion is reached. scheduled sunset date, whether legislative session, the bottle 1997 session both to end The resolution directed EPD or not the fee should continue bill was assigned to the Solid prematurely the dollar fee paid and P2AD to research topics and, if so, how it should Waste Subcommittee of the on all new tires bought in such asecono.mically feasible be used. Senate Natural Resources Committee. The subcommittee, which did not Training to Teach "At last year's training, we offered separate formally consider the issue until 1998, .scheduled a Basics of Running tracks for beginner and experienced recycling coordinators," said Paula Longo, DCA's state hearing, allotting time for both supporters and opponents to Recycling Programs recycling coordinator. "This year; we'll focus on the basic information everyone needs to speak on the issue. After the Many communities are beginning to realize know in order to start or take over a discussions, a motion not the importance of sound, economical solid community recycling program." to send the bill to the waste management as their landfills begin to Sessions will cover everything from setting full committee passed by a close, the cost of handling solid waste program goals, collecting, processing and 4-0 vote. increases, and environmental marketing materials to public Another bill introduced in regulations become more education and funding. After the Senate addressed stringent. As a result, more a day of learning, attendees RECYCLED CONTENT PAPER communities are implementing will go on a tour of the PURCHASES BY STATE recycling and composting Georgia Music Hall of Fame, AGENCIES. The bill, which programs and assigning the followed by a reception passed both houses, directs responsibility of designing and sponsored by the Georgia State agencies, authorities implementing those programs Recycling Coalition. and commissions to spend at to someone who may know The registration fee is $75 least 95 percent of their very little about recycling. and includes a comprehensive printing and writing paper DCA is sponsoring the training manual. Registration expenditures on paper that second annual Recycling forms have been mailed to meets or exceeds EPA Program Development local recycling coordinators. guidelines for minimum Training, a combination of If you did not receive a form recycled content. Currently, lectures, interactive exercises and case studies or would like more information, please EPA guidelines require 20 designed to teach the fundamentals of running contact Judy Wilson at the Carl Vinson percent recycled content. a local government recycling program. The Institute of Government. at {706) 542-2736 State agencies, commissions training will be held June 15 and 16 at the or Paula Longo at (404) 679-3161 or and authorities are further Crowne Plaza Hotel in Macon. plongo@dca.state.ga.us. required to document and 3 THE WASTE STREAM JOURNAL SPRING1998 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ KEEP GEORGIA BEAUTIFUL PRESENTS Keep Georgia Beautiful recognized the award winners for their achievements in managing Special Awards waste and reducing litter in Georgia through a Two special awards were variety of solid waste management education, also presented at the luncheon. recycling, composting and beautification - The Keep Georgia Beautiful ANNUAL AWARDS programs. Foundation recognized one "Keep Georgia Beautiful is proud of what this of its original directors, Keep Georgia Beautiful honored 48 individuals, organizations, schools and businesses for making significant contributions to improving Georgia's environment during its 20th annual awards luncheon. at the Georgia World Congress Center on March 12. More than 500 people attended this year's luncheon, where they heard remarks from special guest speaker Ray Empson, president of Keep America Beautiful, Inc. _year's award recipients have accomplished," said DCA Commissioner Jim Higdon. "They are working to protect and preserve Georgia'senvironmental future by making a difference in their communities." Lamar Norton, manager of area development for The Georgia Power Company, served as master of ceremonies for the luncheon. Holly Tydings, Teen Miss Heart of Georgia, entertained guests by singing the KAB anthem and other selections. Dr. Horace Hudson, with a Distinguished Service Award. Hudson served as president of the Foundation from 1991 through 1997, and has worked on community development projects in almost every Georgia county both through his position with UGA's Cooperative Extension Service and as a volunteer. Hudson has helped organize not-for-profit boards such as chambers of commerce, local Recycling Business and Industry Government Agency School Non-Profit Organization Shaw Industries, Inc., Dalton Athens-Clarke County Recycling Division Armuchee H.S. Recycling Program, Floyd Co. Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful KAB systems and statewide volunteer groups. He has also taken an active role in fostering leadership development among local KAB directors through the creation. of the first KAB Institute for Executive Directors, held at UGA in February. Incoming Foundation President Tom Kornegay presented the award. DCA awarded its first annual Solid Waste Management Planning Award to Hall County, including the cities of KGB System Dublin/Laurens Clean and Beautiful Keep Smyrna Beautiful Keep Albany/Dougherty Beautiful Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful Clermont, Flowery Branch, Gainesville, Gillsville, Lula and Oakwood. Troup Clean and Beautiful Cobb Clean Commission Hall County and its municipalities excelled in developing and implementing their plan largely because of the community's involvement in the planning process. Numerous goals and - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - + s t r a t e g i e s in the plan have Georgia SIJ.ines on ,Georgians once again showed their public-spiritedness, been realized, including America Recycles Day as they took to heart the chance to make pledges toward the establishment of a recycling goals. In a report released by organizers of the Subtitle-D landfill, a re~ November 15 America Recycles Day entitled Top 1OofMost cycling center, a reuse center Everythingaso/1115198, thestaterackeduptoptenfinishes .in several important categories. These included . Top 10 m Pledges ....................,............. #10 and 12 convenience centers. Additionally, four cities have implemented curbside re~ cycling programs, and countywide programs are in Top 10 in Events ....................;.................. #2 place for yard trimmings, Top 10 in Number ofArticles .................. #5 Top 10 in Sponsor Mentions ................... #9 corrugated cardboard and used oil recycling. 4 - - - - - - - ' - - - - - ' - - - - - ' - - - - - - - GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AFFAIRS WHm.-OUTGRAFFmWITH krrFRoM kP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL INC. Why talk about graffiti in a waste reduction new~letter? "Graffiti is an environmental issue," said Lynn Cobb, Keep GeorgiaBeautiful manager. "It is a waste of .resources in that it destroys property. It makes people less concerned about caring for their environment, if only because they think no one else cares. It's a waste of human resources, too-somebody has to clean it up." Keep America Beautiful, Inc. and Krylon, the leading manufacturer of aerosol spray paint, have developed a "Graffiti Hurts"TM conimunity education kit designed to educate citizens, business owners; government officials and students about graffiti prevention. The kit contains several elements. A program manual details how communities can implement a local Oraffiti Hurts program. A teacher guide offers lesson plans and / posters for schools. Camera- ready, public service adver-~ Bowles used the ideas in the tisements and an informational kit and organized a graffiti bus brochure can be localized with tour for her community. The local graffiti prevention tour, coordinated with local messages. Finally, an edu~ law enforcement officials, cational video can be used for showed the link between presentations to students or graffiti and gang activity. corrimunity leaders. About 150 concerned citizens In South Georgia, Keep attended, and local television Albany-Dougherty Beautiful stations covered the event. Exec~tive Director Julia Bowles is currently compiling a slide show 'to present at civic organizatio11s. The show will include pictures from all parts of the community, to demonstrate the scope of the problem. The kit is free to KAB communities or $50 for nonKAB communities. It can be ordered from KAB by calling (203) 323-8987. WOOD WASTE WORKSHOP TO BE OFFERED IN JULY Feeling buried under old with wood products, from the operators, and local recycling coordinators can all benefit from the workshop. The $80 registration fee includes lunch and a sponsor is The University of Georgia's Department of Biological and Agriculturai Engineering. State sponsors include DCA, P2AD, Georgia pallets and scraps of wood? manufacturers and processors workshop .notebook filled Tech's Economic Develop- The 1998 Wood Waste to those charged with wood with reuse strategies and ment Institute and the Georgia Reduction and Reuse waste disposal. Repre- contacts. A half-day tour of a Forestry Commission. Workshop, to be held in sentatives from timber facility that reuses wood For more information, Athens on July 23 and 24, may products industries, wood products will be offered for an contact Robyn McGuckin at: help you dig your way out. brokers and transporters, additional $15. (706) 542-0381 or .The workshop will address wood recyclers, landfill The primary workshop mcguckin@bae.uga.edu. issues of wood waste+ ----------------------------------- reduction and reuse, including i& NAME CHANGE, from pg. 1 KAB affiliates and national Atlanta on March 12. pollution prevention at the KAB, Keep Georgia Beaut- DCA Commissioner Jim plant, end markets for wood now following the KAB-. iful is renewing hs dedication Higdon announced at the waste, and transportation and recommended name format .to keeping Georgia beautiful luncheon that the official quality issues. Sessions will of Keep [Affiliate Community and being on the leading edge birthday party celebrating help participants reduce Name]Beautiful. of change," Cobb said. "To Keep Georgia Beautiful's expenditures on waste dis- Keep Georgia Beautiful, remain viable and meaningful, 20 years of service posal by introdudng them to created in 1978 by ail exec- we must keep evolving." \\;'Ould be held October 13, case histories, strategies and utive order of then-Governor Besides the name change, 1998, at Centennial Olympic technologies for effective George Busbee,. initially Keep Georgia Beautiful is Park in Atlanta. wood reuse. focused on litter reduction boosting its identity with a Higdon praised the pro- Speakers will include wood and prevention. This DCA ne\,\l logo, which coincides gram's accomplishments and brokers, members of wood program has expanded its with the unveiling of a expressed confidence that it associations, leaders in focus over the last decade to new logo design from KAB. would continue to breed Georgia's timber products include compn~hensive solu- The name change and intro- success throughout the state. industries, pollution preven- tions to solid waste handling duction of the new logo were "The name change and new. tion specialists and equipment and management. unveiled to a crowd of more look are just the beginning of manufaeturers. "In partnership with local than 500 attendees of the an- the great things to come this The format and topics will governments, businesses, nual Keep Georgia Beautiful year and for the next 20 years," be directed at anyone dealing civic organizations, local Awards Luncheon held in he said. 5 THE WASTE STREAM JOURNAL SPRING1998---'----WEIGHT BASED PAv-As-You-THRow PROGRAM A SuccEss IN GORDON CouNTY In 1994, Gordon County was planning to close its current unlined landfill and open a new Subtitle D landfill within a year. Residents were taking their garbage and recyclables to one of six manned convenience centers or the landfill, free of charge. Considering the 25 percent statewide reduction goal and trying to find ways to increase the life of their new expensive landfill, the County began looking at options to further reduce the amount of waste being disposed. Natalie Bearden Gable was hired to coordinate the County's recycling efforts. RELYING ON EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION The County soon began considering a "pay-as-you throw" (PAYT) program, whereby residents would be charged bas.ed on the amount of garbage they threw away. The County looked at several PAYT model communities, including Tift and Fannin counties, to get ideas on setting up the program. Tift's program uses special garbage bags of various sizes with the cost of the bag covering collection and' disposal fees. Their program is referred to as a "volumebased" PAYT: Fast Facts on Gordon County I Population 39,500 How it Works Residents bring garbage and recyclables to manned convenience centers or the county landfill. Recycling is free, and garbage fees are based on weight. Recyclables are then transported to the County's central processing facility located at the landfill. The County's waste management program is managed asan enterprise fund.. No. of Convenience Ctrs. Six manned sites. Materials Recycled Convenience Ctrs. , Aluminum; tin cans; clear, brown and greeri glass; plastics #1-7; newspaper; and corrugated cardboard. Landfill/ Processing Facility Ill addition to. items listed. above, the central facility also collects office paper from County offices (fi1andatory); yard trimmings; tires; used oil; automobile batteries; and white goods. Time in Place Recycling at convenience centers for past 7-8 years; weight-based program began January 1997. Waste Disposal County-owned Subtitle-D landfill. Contact Natalie Bearden Gable P.O. Box 580 + Calhoun, GA 30703 (706) 629-5633 Fannin County, on the other hand, uses a "weight-based" PAYT program, in which Natalie Bearden Gable demonstrates c~mputerized scales to GRC members residents are charged for Residents must bring all disposal based on the weight garbage to the convenience of their garbage. Recycling is centers in bags. They place the free in both counties. bags on computeri.z~d scales, Gable began by educating which look like big versions the elected officials about of baby-weighing scales. An these options. Once they gave invoice is generated, charging their support for some type of at a rate of 5 per pound. PAYT program, she reached Afterwards, the scales tip over, the residents through a series spilling the bags of garbage of public hearings. On into the compactor. learning about the different Hours of operation of each PAYT options, the residents site vary: two are open 30 overwhelmingly chose the hours/week, one is open 40 weight-based program. hours/week, two are open, 50 In 1996, Gable applied for hours/week, and one is open and received a $70,000 GEFA 60 hours/week. grant to retrofit the six con- If residents choose to take venience centers. Scales for their garbage directly to the weighing residential garbage landfill, they still pay by the and facilities for collecting pound for their garbage; payments were constructed. however, there is a $3 The new program was up minimum (the regular charge and running by January 1997. for 60 pounds). For more Gable reports that the elected than 60 pounds, residents pay officials and citizens are the standard $32 per ton pleased with the results. tipping fee, or 1.6 per pound. How IT WORKS Residents may take garbage and recyclables to one of the six staffed convenience centers or to the landfill, or they can contract with a private hauler to handle garbage collection. At the convenience centers, residents separate recyclables into trailers for aluminum, tin cans, glass, plastic and corrugated cardboard. They do not pay to leave recyclables at the centers. As at the convenience centers, recycling is available free of charge. About once a week, the recyclables are transported to a central processing facility. The processing facility is open Monday through Saturday. It employs two staff persons to oversee operations and three to six county inmates to handle the sorting, separating and baling of materials. Because these inmates are not hard-core criminals (most are serving time for ~ 6 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AFFAIRS ~STORMS, from pg. 1 (430 cubic yards) of flood and demolition landfill. That doesn't count the wood waste, mostly 2x4s and trees, that was Recovery, observed some of the storm debris being disposed of at the landfill. He enough debris to fill nine football fields, 100 feet deep. That's just over 1.5 debris had been deposited at .burned. said most of it could not be million cubic yards of wood the local landfill, with a The waste was initially recycled because it was debris. significant amount left to pick stockpiled so Federal "a hodgepodge" of waste The figure does not include up. County personnel could Emergency Management mingled together, with wood C&D waste or household notestimatethetonnageofthe Agency (FEMA) staff could mixed with scrap metal and waste, which are the remaining debris. take photographs to later household items. Recyclers responsibility of the individual HAIL COUNTY TORNADO In north Georgia, a tornado that ripped through Gaine.sville and Hall County in 'March destroyed 70 homes and damaged three schools and one library branch-and sent about 7oo tons ( l, 170 reimburse the county for the tipping fee expense. It was then disposed of in a privately owned landfill managed by did recover some materials, though. For helped locate aemxaemtap1sler,ecFyocoleter to remove debris from the USA Waste. The company reduced the tipping fee from daBmeacgaeudssechFoEoMls.A w111 pay $20 to $17 a ton for the debris. tipping fees for disposal of Rick Foote, natural waste in the pnvate1y-owned resources coordinator for Hall landfill, the County had no in- home or business owners. Brittingham hopes to divert some of the C&D waste from landfills by bringing in a company to provide roofing shingle recycling. The same storm generated between 2 and 3 million cubic yards of debris in Gwinnett cubic yards) of debris to a County Resource and centive to incur the expense of County, according to Connie -pri-vat-ely--o-wn-ed-co-nst-ruc-tio-n - - - - - - - - - - - - + d k d grindingthewoo 1tp1c e up. Wiggins, executive director of Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful. "lllllDUI or petty crimes), no correctional officer is needed. The County is responsible for picking up the inmates and dropping them off every morning and evening. The 15,000 square foot facility, which was built in 1994, houses a Mosley horizontal baler, a Bobcat themselves," said Gable. "That was our goal." LESSONS LEARNED AND FUTURE PLANS Because residents have the option of contracting with private haulers for flat-rate garbage collection, early reduction. results weren't as MORE TORNADOES IN NORTH ATLANTA According to recent news reports, storms that hit the northern metro-Atlanta area in early April hit 4,000 homes, nine apartment complexes and 250 businesses. An estimated 60,000 trees were damaged or knocked down. As in DeKalb, most of the debris is wood waste that will be chipped. Some of the building materials, such as concrete and steel, will be recycled. The amount of debris the storm produced in Cobb County is unknown. "When you consider that loader and front-end loader, and 'a Rexworks grinder for grinding up yard trimmings. The County is recycling approximately 3,000 tons of materials a year, or five percent of its waste stream. Corrugated cardboard is the most popular item recycled by Gordon County residents and businesses. Financially, both the PAYT and recycling portions of the program are faring well. No tax dollars are used to support solid waste management. The sale of recyclables strong as expected. According to Gable, many residents decided to go ahead and have their garbage picked up if they were going to have to pay for disposal anyway. These residents still have the opportunity to recycle at the convenience centers, but they no longer have the economic incentive to reduce waste. To increase waste diversion, Gable hopes to provide curbside recycling for residents choosing private haulers. She will target a few new subdivisions for pilot curbside Though the damage was. disastrous and the debris was piled high along suburban streets, much of the waste will be diverted from landfills. Jerry Brittingham, assistant director ofthe DeKalb County Sanitation Department, said that trees and limbs were initially removed from streets and public areas to an emergency location. The County then signed a $15 million contract with Grubbs Construction Company to remove remaining wood debris, pull stumps and chip Georgia disposed of 16.7 million cubic yards of waste during all of last year, the amount of debris these local governments are handling in limited amounts of time is significant," said Patty Mcfutosh, manager of DCA's Waste Reduction and Government Assistance section. "Fortunately, they are trying to keep mos.t of it out of landfills, so the effect on the state's waste stream should be minimal," Mcintosh said. "In the future, we'll be working with local govern- covers the cost of the recycling recycling programs soon. the woody'materials. ments to help them plan operation. The 5 per pound Overall, what should any The contract includes for waste disposal and fee and the landfill fees were community looking to removal of fallen trees and diversion problems caused set based on full cost ac- implement a weight-based stumps on private property, as by natural disasters." counting procedures, so they PAYT program do? "Educate, long as they are within 150 In the next issue of The cover all aspects of the solid educate, educate," says Gable, feet of a residence. Grubbs Waste Stream Journal, look waste program, from man- "and give your citizens Construction will chip the for more information about aging the landfill and centers a chance to voice their debris. and haul much of it to the aftermath of the to hauling and overhead.costs. opinions. They are more apt north Georgia where it will be storms and how some. local Each center generates $10,000 to support a program when burned as fuel. governments pr11pare to to $12,000 each month. they have a say in how it is Brittingham said the handle solid waste in I "They're paying for to be run." contractor anticipates clearing emergencies. 7 THEWASTESTREAMJOURNALSPRING1998----~-------------- SO, YOU'VE GOT A PROBLEM If private collection is a possibility, communities can Q U E S T I 0 N : My local government currently uses a dumpster or "green box" system for garbage collection. Numerous green box sites are located along every major thoroughfare in the area. Many ofthem are eyesores, no matter how hard local sanitation crews work to keep the sites picked-up. It is common privatize their systems in at least three ways: I.Contract with a private company to provide collection on terms established by the local government. knowledge that our dumpsters are regularly used b:y people in neighboring cities and counties with more controlled systems of collection, like convenience centers or curbside collection. Ifwe decide to explore shiftingfrom green boxes to convenience centers or curbside collection, what are some of the things we should keep in mind? ' A N S W E R : Depending on the size andpopulation distribution, most local governments seeking to move away from their dumpster or green box collection systems initially switch to either staffed or unstaffed convenience centers, often called drop-off centers. usually difficult to do without moving to some system of chargirtg fees and billing users for the service.. Adding to and upgrading the types of collection vehicles used is Convenience centers are typically installed at fewer locations than the old green box sites, thus requiring some residents to travel further distances to dump their garbage. This sometimes leads to early complaints that. the "convenience" centers are not 'as convenient as the previous system. The key to overcoming this complaint is to locate the convenience centers as equidistant from all potential users as possible (so that everyone is within, say, five miles of a center). One of the chief advantages of convenience centers is that they .are easier for a local government to control than green box sites. Some of the reasons for this are: the centers are usually fenced-in to keep out scavengers and minimize the unsightliness associated with open dumpsters; ingress and egress to the centers is better defined, almost always a necessity for allowing collection ve- communities accustomed to hicles an easier time of green box collection. Regular getting to the dumpsters operation and maintenance within the centers; costs associated with these separate containers for vehicles generally rise due to recyclable materials can be set up and monitored, thus allowing for more suc- their increased use. Some issues to consider when switching to curbside cessful recycling programs; convenience centers, unlike roadside green box sites, collection are: establishing collection routes and informing n:~si can be easily staffed and. dents as to how often and on given regular hours of operation; and because convenience center what days their garbage will be picked up; deciding whether to collect sites are fewer in 'number from residents' back yard, than green box sites, a cost savings is generally realized from operating fewer front yard, curbside, etc.; ~ determining methods for educating residents on collection vehicles. separating yard trimmings (which is mandated Costs associat~d. with by state law) and re- establishing convenience cyclables, if recycling is to centers include those for. new be offered; and dumpsters and recycling con- determining whether to tainers, fencing, extra staff (if provide and require the use the centers are. to be staffed), and p~blic education efforts. of. specified containers or allow residents to set .out Private companies operate garbage in containers of convenience centers in at least a few Georgia communities, although in most of these cases. the local government established, paid for and retains ownership of the centers. their own choosing. Private collection companies throu,ghout the state have begun providing curbside collection to rural areas. Cities or counties looking to shift from green box systems to 2.Establish _terms for collection franchises and then allow any collection company that can meet those terms to operate within the community~ 3. Simply allow open competition, with residents having the burden of seeking out and choosing among available collection companies. Other Issues Paramount to any effort to switch from green box systems to convenience centers or curbside service is public education well in advance of instituting a change. Requiring residents to change their behavior on disposing of waste is seldom accomplished without at least a few initial problems and complaints. Local governments should plan on spending time and money to advertise in local newspapers and radio spots and to develop flyers, posters and other literature to distribute to as many of their residents as possible. Since a few residents are likely to be unhappy with the new system, regardless of how easy the local government makes the transition, illegal dumping and littering may become a problem early in the change-over process. Communities should consider . adopting and enforcing ordinances that address such problems. For assistance in exploring alternative collection systems, Convenience Center in Hall County Curbside Collection . Switching to curbside or door-to-door collection is curbside collection should at least explore whether or not tliis is the c.ase in their area. please contactDCA's Office of Waste Management at (404) 679-4816. 8 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OFCOMMUNITY AFFAIRS Public Georgia's cities and counties *** ttFTALKJN' TRASH from page I and can be found on the D.CA The Filter Manufacturers web site. Council has established colleges and universities and military bases. To receive a copy, contact Paula Longo *** Georgia Building Authority employees have made a major a Used Filter Recycling Hotline. H~gh-volume oil filter users can .call for state- at (404) 679-3161 or commitment to recycling- by-state lists of regulations plongo@dca.state.ga.us. they have given up their trash and filter recyclers. A web site *** cans. Well, they still have is in the works, too. Remember DCA's Toois small trash receptacles For information, call publications? They are written to help local government officials deal with attached to blue recycling containers at their desks, but fewer papers and recyclables (800) 99-FILTER. *** The National Association specific issues. Two recent land in the trash now. If your for Plastic Container issues can help with solid State agency is interested Recovery will award grants of waste: Dealing with Yard Trimmings and Pay as You Throw Collection Systems. in making the switch, contact Cindy Harden at (404) 651.,.5924 or up to $25,000 to suppqrt PET recycling, according to Waste News. The PET Market Both have been distributed to charden@gba.state.ga.us. Catalyst Grant Program is for ----~------------------+technologies that lower Alabama-based quarry operator, will generate the granite dust. The topsoil will be processed at Vulcan's quarry in Kennesaw. *** It's been business as usual at Atlanta-based Greencycle of Georgia since Envirowaste Industries acquired the company in January. While current key employees remain on staff, EnvirC>waste hopes to expand the amount of materials and radius of operations for Greencycle. Envirowaste also hopes to use its experience in the production of soils and soil amendments to Private ttFTALKIN' TRASHfrom page I the farm bureau is seeking legislation to establish a state ruined crops and dead livestock caused by roadside litter cost Pennsylvania farmers $34 million each year. *** processing costs or find new uses for recycled PET. *** Bedminster Bioconversion Corp., which will again improve production .and extend sales beyond the $1.5 million Greencycle sold in 1996. *** indemnity prograpi to Roofing Waste Manage- cbmpost Cobb County's solid The open burning ban compensate farmers who ment Company recently waste when the rebuilding of is back. If you're in the suffer losses or damages due announced the opening of a its burned facility is completed metro-Atlanta area, no burning to roadside litter. It seems that .new shingle recycling facility this summer, is working a deal of land clearing debris litter often lands in fields, in Smyrna. The plant will with Vulcan Materials (or anything else, for that where it is sometimes recycle waste roofing shingles company to market a topsoil matter) until after September accidentally harvested and fed by grinding them tq a size made from compost and 30. For information on other to livestock. According to suitable for asphalt paving granite dust. While the options, contact Renita Davis Waste News, the bureau mix. For information, call compost will come from the at (404) 679-4922 or estimates that work delays, (770) 434~2441. Marietta facility, Vulcan, an rdavis@dca.state.ga.us. DOASHELPSSTATEINCREASE lamps and ballasts. A new statewide contract for the collection of used lamps and ballasts RECYCLED PRODUCT PURCHASES for recycling is currently in the works. Meanwhile, State Purchasing has developed In 1997, the Department of AdministrativeServic~s (DOAS)_ model contract terms and conditions for agencies to use for took many steps to increase the purchase of recycled and other securing recycling services for lamps and ballasts. environmentally-preferable products by State Moreover, DOAS developed information agencies, with initiatives ranging from to educate purchasers on environmentally increasing the number of recycled products preferable products. In addition to making available on statewide contract to promoting presentations on the topic, State Purchasing energy efficient computer equipment. staff issued Recycled Product Purchasing First, DOAS simply made it easier for State Quarterly, a newsletter with general agencies to purchase recycled and and technical information on resource efficient environmentally-preferable products. DOAS products. They also promoted energy efficient Rapid Copy now performs all standard computers by providing information and a copying on 20 percent recycled paper, white link to the EPA Energy Star web site on and colored bond. At DOAS Surplus and the web page that lists all the computers on Supply, more remanufactured toner cartridges State contract. are available to both State agencies and local DOAS further supported recycled product governments. By upgrading contract m.arkets by purchasing 25,000 remanufactured specifications, DOAS made sure the. quality diskettes for distributing the Georgia Vendor of the cartridges was improved over previous offerings. Manual to all of the State'!) registered vendors. The diskettes I DOAS recently developed a statewide contr,act, which can be and the use of the Department's web site eliminated the need .i used by State and local agencies, for energy efficient fluorescent for printing paper copies of the manual. 9 I THE WASTE STREAM JOURNAL+ SPRING1998-------,----~----'------..,.... THE WASTE STREAM JOURNAL is published quarterly by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.. Funding for this publication is provided by the Georgia Solid Waste Trust Fund. We welcome any comments, criticisms or suggestions for future editions. News releases are welcome. Wecan'tguarantee we will publish all releases, but we do wish to report significant waste reduction news from the state and the region.. Please send releases and correspondence to: Editor The Waste Stream Journal Georgia Department of Community Affairs 60 Executive Park South, NE Atlanta, Georgia 30329-2231 (404) 679-4922 (404) 679-0572 (FAX) rdavis@dca.state.ga.us DCA Solid Waste Assistance RlcKBROOKS Director Planning & Environmental Management Division .... (404). 679-0608 LEAMON Scorr LYNN COBB PATTY MclNrosH RENITA DAVIS BONNIE FRYER PATTI INSINNA Director Office of Waste Management ...................................... (404) 679:4816 Manager Keep Georgia Beautiful ............................................... (404) 679~4910 Manager Waste Reduction and Government Assistance ..;......... (404) 679-4853 Consultant ..................................................................................... (404) 679~4922 SWMTechnical Assistance (Yard Trimmings Diversion), . SW Public Information, SW Annual Report, The Waste Stream Journal Consultant and GHEP Project Coordinator ....................,.............. (404) 679-1598 Waste Reduction Assistance for Hospitality Industry ResearchAssistant .....................:................................................... (404) 679-1739 RHONDA KOPLIN Consultant .....................................;...............................,............... (404) 679-3152 Education Training, Keep Georgia Beautiful PAULA LoNGO State Recycling Coordinator .......................................................... (404) 679-3161 SWM Technical Assistance (Recycling, Variable Rates, Buy Recycled, etc.) DAVID SMITH Consultant .:.........................,.....:..................:...........................;.... (404) 679-'.H44 Special Projects(Christmas Tree Recycling, Statewide Litter Reduction _ Campaign, Home Composting), Keep Georgia Beautiful , BERENICE THOMAS Secretary ......................................................................,............. (404) 679-3142 PATRICK V ICI(ERS Sr. Information Specialist, Office of Research and Analysis ........ (404) 679-3151 SWM Survey and Full Cost Report You may compose any DCA employee's e-mail address by using his/her first initial and last name (up to eight characters total) followed by "@dca.state.ga.us". ---C--A--L--E--N---D--A--R----O--F----E--V--E--N--T--S--------AT-C-H-RE-O--N-W-Y-AM--SS-T-E--C-O-S-MT--MR-EO--AN--LM-Y---J-UO-S-U-E-RD-N--A-I-NL-- fli)\111 C&D Construction and Demolition 9-.11 Waste Expo Chicago 15 Georgia Recycling Coalition's Bi-Annual Meeting Macon Crowne Plaza Hotel 15-16 Recycling Program Development Training Crowne Plaza Hotel Macon DCA Georgia Department of Community Affairs DNR Georgia Department of Natural Resources DOT Georgia Department of Transportation EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EPD Georgia Environmental Protection Division (DNR) 17 Waste Prevention Pays EPA's WasteWiSe Satellite Downlink (other locations io be announced) Atlanta GffA Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority GHEP Georgia Hospitality Environmental Partnership (D~A) KAB Keep America Beautiful, Inc. 27-30 Georgia Municipal Association Annual Mtg. Savannah MRF Materials Recovery Facility flll' MSW Municipal Solid Waste P2AD Georgia Pollution Prevention Assistance Division (DNR) 23-24 1998 Wood Waste Reduction and Reuse Workshop li~ao1~1:n; Athens RDC Regional Development Center SWM Solid Waste Management . 9-11 Composting in the Southeast Conference and Expo Athens 13-16 National Recycling Coalition An,nual Meeting Albuquerque, NM 28- SWANA:s Landfill Operator's Oct 1 Certification Workshop Southern Tech, Manetta 30- Keep Georgia Beautiful Red Top Mountain Oct 2 Annual Executive Director's Conference Athens, GA + 9/9/98- 9/11/98 Registration (912) 386-2404 or Exhibitor Information (706) 542-9067 www.bae.uga.edu/outreach/bioconversion/composlhbnl _______________;___ _ _ _ _ _ ______; GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AFFAIRS COMMUNITY NEWS Please let us know what is happening in your community. . Send your brief submissions (100 words or less) to: Editor, The ~aste Stream!ournal, Georgia Department of Community Affairs, 60 Executive Park South,. NE, Atlanta, Georgfa 30329 or fax them to us at (404) 679-0572. You may alsogive Renita Davis your community news at (404) 6.79-4922 or rdavis@dca.state.ga.us. Atlanta Matt Smith, a 10-year-old-student at Johnston . Elementary School, received an honorable mention in the Use Less Stuff Day Contest, sponsored nationally by The TJ_LS R~p?rt. The contest asked children aged 6~ 12 years to subrmt their ideas about ways to reduce waste. Matt wrote, "Instead of throw~ng away mail, we use it as kindling and then put the ashes m our compost pile. I then put the compost on our flowers." .The City ofAtlanta Solid Waste Services held its first compost give-away the first weekend in May. Residents were allowed to pick up as much as one cubic yard ofcompost, wood chips or mulch at no cost. The City provided the shovels, butthe residents had to .do the loading. The first 200 visitors each day received free wire backyard composting bins. .. W ASTEWI$E DOWNLINK TO ADDRESS BUSINESS WASTES EPA's WasteWi$e Program will present a national satellite forum entitled "Waste Prevention Pays: Businesses Cut Costs by Cutting ':"'aste.s" from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on June 17. Georgia's State agencies will host a downlink at EPD 's. offices in Atlanta. Additional sites are being sought throughout the state.. . The interactive pro~ram will help businesses identify and implement money-savmg waste prevention strategies. It will f~at~re representatives of companies that have already significantly reduced costs by implementing similar programs. In addition to pointing out the hidden costs of managing wastes, the program will teach attendees how to conduct a facility . walk-through. Such an analysis can help businesses identify waste reduction opportunities that can strearilline operations improve efficiencJ and save money. ' The. program is ideal for bus.inesses and for local recycling coordmators who work with the private sector to help reduce waste~. There is no registration fee. If you are interested in attending or hosting a downlink in your area, please contact Mark Davis at EPA .Region 4, (404) 562-8488. Recycling Technology Bulloch With.the help of students from the Savannah College County of Art and Design, Bulloch County is transforming a used semi-trailer into a Mobile Recycling Education Unit. The col- orful murals decorating the outside of the trailer depict a par- ade of wild animals car- rying - recyc- lables to a col- lection center. Union C~p Corporation donated the trailer to the County and DCA provided a grant to help fund the project. As technology continues to advance, more and more computers will become obsolete. According to a 1991 study by Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, by the year 2005, the nation will have discarded about 150 million computers. So, what do you do with those broken, unused or obsolete computers? You can donate usable ones to non-profit . organizations or schools for a tax deduction, sell them for a fraction of the price you paid, or find a company/organization that can u_se or recycle the old computer WWW~dca.State.ga.US & KEEP GEORGIA BEAUTIFUL'S NEW WEB SITE www.KeepGeorgiaBeautiful.org You'll find: i&What's New atDCA i& The Waste Stream Journal i& KAB affiliates, KGB events i& TooLs for More Effective Carroll The C~rroll County Solid Waste Management County Authonty kicked off an anti-littering campaignin . April. The authority produced signs that read "Don't L.itter: . ~ecycle" and attached them to existing signs at city limits, county lines and major intersections across the coun~y. The Authority. also distributed litter bags to grade school children and sponsored a "Spring Cleanup Week" before Earth Day. parts. Technically, you can Local Government dispose of your .old computer in a landfill in Georgia; however, most landfills probably do not want theni since the CRT tubes contain mercury. Here are some compani~s/organizations that will either recycle or reuse your old computer: A&B Computer Recycling Ringgold !800l 557-0726 Video Display corporation Tu.cker !770l 938-2080 Walton County Waste Wise, a newsletter of the Northeast Georgia Regional Solid Waste Management Authority,' Apple Corporation reports that Walton County is abandoning its Computers for Classrooms .Atlanta !404J 249-7763 Atlanta !404) 525-0120 ~een box system, or multiple, unmanned solid waste drop-off M. Bernstein Metal company sites, for residents wfeilwl earls, omhaanvneetdhedcrho~pi-coeffofcceonntetrrsa.ctWinghewreithavaapirliavbalte~ Volunteer SIG of Atlanta PC Users Group Atlanta !404l 753-6066 Atlanta !404l 237-3795 hauler for trash collection. For details on how your community Zentech Atlanta !404l 876-0163 can get rid of green boxes, see page 8. . 11 THE WASTE STREAM JOURNAL SPRING 1998 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Back by. Popular Neglect Ask just about anyone today what their favorite public s.ervice advertisement is, and many will respond, "that one with the crying Indian for Keep America Beautiful." Last spring, Entertainment Weekly named the ad, featuring actor Iron Eyes Cody crying over a blighted landscape, as one of the top 50 advertisements of all time. It ranked 38th overall, just below the California raisins and Mikey ("he likes it!"), but ahead of Jerry Seinfeld pitching American Express and Marilyn Monroe posthumously touting Chanel No. 5. Keep Georgia Beautiful, along with Keep America Beautiful, recently celebrated the unforgettable image Of the "crying Indian" with the release of a new, national advertisement featuring a very compelling re-use of that famous image. "Back by popular neglect" is the theme of the new public service announcement. The action unfolds at a bus shelter, where people are shown littering the area with food and trash while waiting for their bus to arrive. After focusing on the litter, the camera moves to the image of a saddened Iron Eyes Cody, looming from a poster hung on the shelter wall. A tear falling from his eye and rolling down his face leads to the on-screen message: "back by popular neglect." "The advertisement sends a powerful message to anew generation of viewers," said Lynn Cobb, manager of DCA's Keep Georgia Beautiful program: "There was an enormous awareness surrounding the original public service announcement, and this new campaign will hopefully raise that level of awareness once again." . The original "crying Indian" ad, produced in conjunction with The Ad Council, earned over $750,000,000 in free airtime and achieved several billion viewer impressions during its run from 1971 into the 1980s. A limited supply of posters with the Iron Eyes Cody image is available from Keep. Georgia Beautiful. Contact David Smith at (404) 679-3144 or dsmith@dca.state.ga.us for. further details. THE WASTE STREAM JOURNAL P.eorgia Department of Community Affairs 60 Executive Park South, NE Atlanta, GA 30329-2231 An Equal Opportunity Employer If you are disabled and would like to receive this publication in an alternative format, please contact the: Georgia Department of Community Affairs at (404) 679-4915 or 1(800)736-1155 (TDD). If you do not wish to receive this newsletter, please call us or return the mailing label to have your name removed from our mailing list. Thanks! @ Printed on Recycled Paper 12 U.S. Postage Paid FIRST CLASS Permit Number 3969 Atlanta, GA