This is a true story. It really happened and continues happening to this day right here in Powder Springs, Georgia. It is a story about global trade, and it is a story about problem solving. But most of all, it is a story about a community coming together for the greater good.
Our story begins on a cold February day in 2017. Around 2am, while the residents of our community were tucked warm in their beds, all the way across the globe China would institute a series of policies with consequences every member of Powder Springs would feel. What would become known as the “National Sword” is a series of trash ban policies that have restricted the amount of solid waste that China allows to be imported into their country.[1]
Why would a policy on the other side of the world impact our Powder Springs community you might ask? Well, the answer is simple – China had been the buyer for all our recycling. They were the exclusive market for the unwanted trash of not only the U.S., but also Japan, the United Kingdom, and Germany. And when they suddenly not only didn’t want it but wouldn’t allow it, our entire recycling industry changed overnight. The ban has had several consequences:
Global impact: The ban has affected recycling industries worldwide, because China was the world’s largest importer of waste plastics and other recyclable materials.
Local impact: Some cities have been able to find new markets or improve their recycling operations, while others have had to make changes, such as dropping some materials from their recycling program.
Now honestly, our cozy little community did not feel the impacts of these policies immediately. But in 2022, when our contracts for curbside recycling came up for renewal the reality of these policies hit hard. The cost to continue curbside recycling service was going to more than double – and we were not alone in our dilemma. Like many other municipalities in the U.S., we were forced to decide how we would manage the new costs of recycling.
In the U.S., small town and rural recycling operations have been hit the hardest. While most continue to operate, rising costs and falling incomes are forcing some, like Kingsport, Tennessee to shut down. Others, like Phenix City, Alabama, have stopped accepting all plastics. Places like Deltona, Florida suspended curbside pickup. Residents in municipalities like these now must travel to collection points in sometimes distant locations if they want to recycle. Some are inevitably tossing their recyclables in the trash instead
Continue to provide recycling to citizens of Powder Springs
Allow citizens to participate by their own preference and at their own pace
Persist in diverting waste from landfills – which in turn saves $50 per ton dumped
Do all of this by utilizing grant funds at a cost savings to residents
Because starting this center was a problem-solving strategy, we needed the solution immediately. So, we applied for a grant from Georgia Department of Natural Resources and were one of the first municipalities awarded these funds. We took what had been a patch of ground to a functioning Recycling Drop-Off Center in a matter of months – a miraculous enterprise! But we also tried to leave ourselves room to learn and grow. And we have learned quite a bit about the recycling industry and what our city needs. Here is what we have learned:
Powder Springs believes in recycling! We average between 100-180 vehicles per weekend.
We can make a significant impact in the number of materials sent to already overburdened landfill sites.
By making small improvements along the way to our processes, we could offer our citizens a service at a reasonable cost and defray the expense through the sale of our recycled materials.
So, if you remember from our earlier figure of it costing $50 for every ton tipped into the landfill, not only did we save landfill space, but we also experienced cost savings to the city of over $3200. This will continue to be critical to our citizens as we have no open landfills in Cobb County. The markets for places to send our trash are competitive and getting more so every year. We can anticipate the costs of these “tipping fees” to go up as we search for places further afield to send our trash, possibly even out of state. Finding ways to solve this problem now will save us headaches down the road.
We want this project to help sustain what we believe is a really great way of life we have here in Powder Springs. By gathering our recycled materials ourselves, sorting them at our facility and then selling them at the best price we can find, we are choosing to fight the rising costs in this market on behalf of our citizens. If you’ve been to our site, you’ll note that it doesn’t look sleek or polished – this is a grassroots effort. It is one small city coming together to refuse to let global trends and big business take them down. It is a community deciding to ban together to say, “We can make a difference, and we will.”
I’m a proud citizen of Powder Springs. I am also honored to have been tasked with the management of our Recycling Center as a city staff person. If you haven’t been out to our facility at 3006 Spring Industrial Drive yet, come by and see us. You’ll meet some of the friendliest and most helpful people in our city. They’ll teach you all about sorting your items and assist you in every way they can. Many of our regular visitors can’t say enough about this awesome group of employees. We’d love it if you became one of our regulars if you aren’t already.
keeppowderspringsbeautiful.org 