Author: keeppowderspringsbeautiful

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]

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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

https://e360.yale.edu/features/piling-up-how-chinas-ban-on-importing-waste-has-stalled-global-recycling

• 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.

[1] https://e360.yale.edu/features/piling-up-how-chinas-ban-on-importing-waste-has-stalled-global-recycling

Looking to get inspired for your new year’s resolutions? Why not try an “eco-resolution” this year? Not only is this a great habit to keep your household moving toward waste reduction, it is also a kind way to ease your way into new recycling habits. By starting with one small, managable goal each year, you can gradually incorporate waste reduction habits with much less stress than trying to begin everything at once. Here are a few simple ideas to get you started:

• Cloth Napkins: We began using cloth napkins in place of paper towels or napkins at meal times a few years ago. These have greatly reduced our after meal waste.
• Reusable Wipes: These have been a lifesaver in my kitchen!! (Especially during Covid when disinfectant wipes were hard to come by.) Plus, I think they work better than the store bought one-use kind. You can find the “recipe” for these here.
• One New Thing: Maybe you can select just one material to focus on recycling this year. For example, you may decide that your household will focus on glass. See below all the glass we accept at Powder Springs Recycling Center.

• Join the Hefty Renew Program
• Try composting
• Mark your calendars for our first sustainability event, Spring Clean Up on Saturday, March 28th at Thurman Springs Park. Not only will we have our community yard sale and KPSB Plant Sale, we will also have demonstrations from the stage on composting, hard to recycle items, stormwater renewal and more.

If I am looking for a little bit of sunshine on the weekends, I look no further than a quick trop to Powder Springs Recycling Center. Generally, you’ll just find a bunch of citizens joining together in a grassroots effort to reduce the amount of materials that go into our local landfills.

Did you know there are no open landfills in Cobb County?

But as we enter the winter months, we have noticed a trend. As the weather gets cold (and often rainy) our traffic slows at the center. So during January and February our hours change to reflect our community’s needs.

We are really proud of our Recycling Center and our staff – especially our “average dwell time” of 7 minutes. So in an effort to keep our service speedy and efficient, we will utilize additional staffing for Saturdays, since it will be our only day of operation during January and February.

So come on out to Powder Springs Recycling Center this winter, but plan your trips for Saturdays between 10am and 5pm. We’ll reopen to include Sundays in our hours in March.

Each year I am more and more aware of the additional waste created during the holidays. Don’t believe me? Just take a spin around your neighborhood after Thanksgiving or Christmas and notice the overflowing trash carts!

Well, a few years ago we tried a new strategy to reduce some of our Christmas Day trash. Pretty simply, we replaced wrapping paper and paper gift bags for cloth “gift sacks.” These little gems are available for purchase online or locally at stores like Michaels or Target. For any seamstresses out there, I found a really great pattern that gives really simple instructions for making these once and then using them year after year.

While we still have boxes and packaging, the entire trash bag of paper from unwrapping gifts has been eliminated. But if this isn’t for you, here is a list of all the Christmas morning debris you can bring to Powder Springs Recycling Center:

The main culpret around our house during the holidays and, really, ANY time of year are plastics! While we have little to no option about how our goods are packed when we purchase them from a store or on-line, we DO have some control over where that trash goes when we are done it with it.

We are fortunate here in Cobb County to participate in the Hefty EnergyBag or Hefty Renew program. This small addition to our own household garbage has reduced the bags of trash we put in our curbside waste by 50%. Here is how it works…..mostly (I’ll explain after the video.)

How it Works

• Purchase your Hefty Renew bags at any of our local grocery stores or online here.
• Fill them with all the plastics we cannot take at Powder Springs Recycling Center! That’s right – all that stuff you have to trash because it isn’t a 1 or 2 can go in these little orange miracle bags.

• HERE IS WHERE WE DIFFER FROM THE VIDEO…..Because we don’t have curbside recycling in Powder Springs, these bags can be dropped off at WestRock Recycling at 1775 County Services Road in the big orange dumpster.

Interested in having Hefty ReNew drop off here in Powder Springs? Please let our Recycling Center Staff know! We’re always looking for ways to serve our community’s recycling needs.

Continuing our Less Waste for the Holidays series, we thought we’d share this GREAT resource from Keep America Beautiful crammed full of ideas to help you reduce waste this season. This resource helps you more fully realize the environmental footprint of your holiday party.

Americans throw away 25-43% more trash between the Thanksgiving and New Year’s holiday period.

Keep America Beautiful

It is very easy to lose track of waste, especially when most of us are in the habit of “trash it and forget it.” It usually doesn’t catch up with us until that day of the week that we roll our cart to the curb and notice that the lid won’t shut. From decorations, to wrapping paper, to additional food waste – it can really add up.

This is why we are happy to share Keep America Beautiful’s Keep the Holidays Beautiful resource with you. this downloadable resource can be wonderful “food for thought” as you plan your holiday gatherings.

Stay tuned into our blog this November and December for more small ways you can reduce waste around your holiday traditions.