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Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Get on board with recycling
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There is nothing better than reading the Vent section of the AJC. Some of the comments make you wanna roll around laughing, some make your eyes pop out of your skull.. while others just leave you scratching your head saying “huh?”.
Such as this one:
“A $500 fine for not recycling????What is this the garbage gestapo? Who elected Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful anyway??!!??”
O.K., lets everyone relax and quit freaking out and as my good friend, Jack, would say: “breathe in with anger, out with love.”
There, feel better now?
Good.. because based on this Vent and some other comments I have heard here and there around town there is a huge misunderstanding about this whole deal.
I spoke with Connie Wiggins, fellow Gator fan and Executive Director of Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful, about the recycling program being implemented.
First things first - even though I believe it SHOULD be mandatory… it is VOLUNTARY. So in other words if you are eligible to participate you should, but you can continue to do as you do today and burden the environment.
One thing Connie asked me to make absolutely clear is participating in this program will not cost anyone more than they were already going to pay. So in other words cost cant be your excuse to not do the right thing. After all the programs major intention is to encourage recycling and more importantly, make it more convenient. There is a possibility it could eventually lower your costs too.
If you choose to participate in the program you will receive two wheeled bins like you probably use today. In one will go your paper, plastic, and glass that you would normally recycle. The other bin will have everything else that you would normally throw out (food, etc).
I know what your next question is. “Okay Woody… then what is this whole $500 fine all about?”
To dispel the biggest myth of this entire misunderstanding… you will not be fined $500 if you do not participate. The fine is for those who commit the most egregious misuse of the recycling bins.
For example: Lets say someone reports someone misusing the recycling bins and after an investigation it turns out that the perpetrator (consistently) put a LOT more in the recycle bins than recyclable material. Then the perpetrator MAY be fined $500. These are not gonna be handed out like speeding tickets. If you happen to put a pizza box with one slice of pizza in the recycle bin… you will NOT be fined $500.
Also, if you live in a condominium or apartment complex, call Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful at (770) 822-5187 and they can help you determine if your community is eligible to participate in this program.
This is a good program for Gwinnett, and even better for the environment. Get on board.
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