DeKalb wins trash award

By Megan Matteucci

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

DeKalb County has award-winning trash.

The Solid Waste Association of North America awarded DeKalb’s sanitation division the 2010 “Gold Transfer Station Excellence Award,” county officials announced.

The award recognizes outstanding solid waste programs and facilities that help advance the practice of environmentally and economically sound solid waste management. The association was specifically looking at the county’s use of technology and processes that protect workers and residents’ health and safety, officials said.

Last year, the county’s central transfer station used 14 percent less energy and 20 percent less water than required by building codes, a county spokeswoman said. Twenty percent of the station was built using recycled materials.