Renovating recycling

Hayley Jackson is amused by a cardboard cut-out at the expo

Natalie Leff

ATHENS, Ga.-- Georgians currently throw away 2.6 million tons of recyclable products each year according to the Georgia Office of Environmental Management.

Program Coordinator Joe Dunlop informed spectators about Georgia’s recycling efforts at the second annual Green Life Expo held at The Classic Center on Jan. 30 and 31.

Dunlop showed off the state’s newest recycling campaign, "YouGottaBeKidding.org," through cardboard cut-outs of dumbfounded people wearing "I don’t recycle" shirts. Other slogans in the campaign include, "Is turning tequila into a margarita considered recycling?"

"We are trying to appeal to 25-to-34-year-old males through these ads. We want them to see how easy it is to recycle," Dunlop said.

A second-year UGA student majoring in health promotion was amused by the state’s humorous campaign at the Expo, and remembers when recycling used to not be so easy.

Haley Jackson from Marietta, Ga., grew up in a "don’t waste" household. Her mother was so keen on recycling that she drove 30 minutes to drop the family’s items off.

The state is also trying to make the process of recycling easier on people. Georgia has started to move toward stream recycling which cuts out the sorting process.

"Although this is harder on the processor, it makes it easier on the recycling consumer," Dunlop said.

In Athens-Clarke County, there are currently eight drop-off sites around the city and 10 other locations throughout the UGA campus.

And at the national level, the federal government has created the Environmental Protection Agency to promote environmental consciousness. An Environmental Scientist with the agency, Robin D. Billings, travels to similar exhibits and expos around the Southeast informing people on composting and recycling efforts.

Billings said that the average American home creates 470 pounds of compostable food waste, and the U.S. has sent $1.2 billion worth of aluminum to landfills that could have been recycled.

The agency also promotes the recycling of electronic devices, including batteries and light bulbs. This practice is commonly known as eCycling. Figures show that the agency’s "Plug-in to eCycling" initiative in 2006 stopped greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 12,000 cars.

Suki Janssen with the ACC Solid Waste Department’s Recycling Division said most eCycling programs try to re-use or re-sell the used electronics first.

When that is not possible, the pieces go through a shredding process. Once they are shredded, the different products are then sorted through for re-sell or used to make items such as stepping stones or playground equipment.

If items like TVs and computers were simply thrown into a landfill, the toxins within the electronics would mix with rainwater. This mixture can contaminate groundwater, drinking water.

"This toxin/rainwater mix is called leachate, which is technically garbage juice. This ends up in well-water and has to be pumped out," Janssen said.

Unlike aluminum, paper, plastics and glass, electronics cannot be picked up through curbside services or dropped off at regular recycling sites.

Instead, these items can be taken to the Athens-Clarke County Landfill at 5700 Lexington Road, where they are sent elsewhere for recycling. A listing of other drop-off sites for various electronics can be found at Earth911.com.

Edited by: Matthew Allen