A Brief History:
Recycling and Pay as You Throw in Decatur
1990 – The Georgia Solid Waste Management Act of 1990 required that cities reduce solid waste by 25 percent by 1996.
1990 – Decatur City Commission established a Recycling Task Force to “develop, promote, and implement cost-effective methods of increasing recycling in Decatur.” Other charges included considering the financial implications of recycling alternatives and assisting the city in implementing a comprehensive, cost-effective recycling program that is coordinated with other public and private programs.
1991 – Members of the first Recycling Task Force began meeting. They were Cheryl Burnette, Catherine Carter, Rachel Cochran, Kathy Katz, Stan Samuels, Vee Simmons, Ray Steward, David Studtman, Leonard Thibadeau, Marlene Webb, Harry Wistrand, and Robert Youngblood.
January-June 1991 The Task Force met 13 times, held a public meeting, and researched a variety of recycling options. They made a set of 12 recommendations to the City Commission in August 1991. Among them was a recommendation to increase the recycling of aluminum cans and newspapers to include glass and corrugated cardboard.
The City Commission replaced the Recycling Task Force with the Waste Management Advisory Board (WMAB), charged with providing ongoing guidance and input on recycling and other waste management issues.
1992-1996 – During these years the Waste Management Advisory Board and the City of Decatur implemented a variety of programs to encourage recycling and help reduce solid waste going to the landfill.
April 1992 – Decatur hosted its first Earth Day event on the square. Other events and activities included Telephone Book Recycling Week, a Magazine Recycling Pilot Project, composting, a monthly “Recycling Corner” in the Decatur Focus along with other initiatives. These efforts resulted in some reduction of solid waste but did not achieve the 25 percent mandated by the state before 1996.
October 1996 – The Waste Management Advisory Board began discussions on how to further reduce landfill deposits and to charge for sanitation services more equitably. They adopted three goals: Reduction of trash; increase in recycling; equity.
From these goals the WMAB developed a recommendation for a Pay-As-You-Throw garbage collection program that would:
• Reduce landfill deposits by 25 percent over FY 91-92 deposits.
• Distribute disposal costs equitably among service users; i.e., users pay for what they throw away.
• Increase the volume of recyclables.
1997 – WMAB and the city focused on public input and education during the development of the program. They wrote articles for the Decatur Focus and local papers, including the AJC. They sponsored public hearings and presented the Pay-As-You-Throw concept with three potential systems including bag, tag/sticker, and subscription can. The pros and cons of each option were discussed and questions and comments were received.
Attendees were also encouraged to submit written questions and comments. Members of the WMAB and city staff compiled the questions and comments and prepared answers that were made available at subsequent public meetings and printed in the Focus.
April-November 1997 – WMAB members, the Sanitation director, and the city manager met with garden clubs and neighborhood associations seeking input in the development of a volume-based program.
March 1998 –WMAB submitted a Pay-As-You-Throw volume-based collection program using a bag system to the City Commission for approval. The Commission approved the PAYT program with a July 6, 1998, starting date.
>Pay As You Throw overview