Northern Atlanta to soon have permanent hazardous waste collection and recycling center

ATLANTA (Scrap Monster): The Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials (CHaRM) may soon open its second Atlanta location in Buckhead area, northern Atlanta early next year. This was confirmed by District 6 Councilman Alex Wan, who has been an active promoter of the center’s first location at 1110 Hill St. in southeast Atlanta. Wan noted that talks are already on with city officials and the Department of Public Works to find an ideal location for the facility in north side of the city. If all goes as per plans, the second Atlanta location could become a reality in early 2017.

According to Wan, the existing CHaRM facility has been witnessing overwhelming response from city residents. It has successfully diverted thousands of pounds of household hazardous waste, bulky trash and other hard to recycle items from Metro-Atlanta landfills and water systems. By tracking the ZIP code of people who drop recyclables at the center, it was found that a lock of Buckhead residents are actively using the facility towards safe disposal of hazardous recyclable items. This has prompted the city to think about opening a new center in the city’s northern side so that residents in those areas don’t have to drive all the way to south Atlanta to recycle difficult-to-handle hazardous waste.

Wan noted that the second facility would most probably be located at 1540 Northside Drive, near Deering Road in south Buckhead. However, a final decision is yet to be taken. Since, the site is currently owned by the city and used by public works department, it would require little work to convert it. It is expected that the facility could be up and running within six months. Discussions are on whether public works would operate the facility or the city has to look for some other arrangement. Wan stated that he would like ‘Live Thrive Atlanta’ to operate the second site as they have already demonstrated their skills by successfully operating the south Atlanta facility. The same site was considered for opening the first CHaRM site. However, it was decided to open the facility at Chosewood Park, upon the city offering that land for yearly lease of one dollar.

The 1110 Hill Street SE Atlanta facility is operated by the non-profit environmental group Live Thrive and is open Tuesdays and Thursdays 9AM to 4PM and Saturday 8AM to 4 PM. The center accepts almost all hard-to-recycle materials except packing peanuts, coat hangers, rigid plastic, wood and building materials.

The initial six-month collection statistics published by Live Thrive, the center accepted 50,679 gallons of paint, 8,074 illegally dumped tires, 19,480 gallons of hazardous chemicals, 101,184 pounds of electronics, 1.143 pounds of Styrofoam, 850 pounds of toilets, 59,188 pounds of metal, 297 mattresses, 16,837 pounds of carpet, 71,510 pounds of textiles, 24,746 pounds of single stream (paper, plastic, metals), 3,040 pounds of light bulbs and 8,547 pounds of batteries. The total of 7,616 persons visited the site during the six-month period from January to June this year.

CHaRM, is a permanent drop off facility for items too harmful or bulky to leave at the curb.

Live Thrive Atlanta is a nonprofit organization working since 2010 to create a community that cares about a healthy and sustainable environment.