DeKalb County has reduced the kinds of materials that it accepts in its single-stream residential recycling program, eliminating plastics numbered #3-#7 and shredded paper.
An announcement in the City of Dunwoody’s weekly newsletter on May 9 publicized the DeKalb County changes, saying that the program now only accepts “plastic containers with Codes #1 and #2 ONLY, plus cardboard, metal and aluminum cans and containers, and mixed paper should be placed loosely in the blue roll carts.”
Dunwoody Communications Manager Jennifer Boettcher said she received an email from the county’s public relations department informing the city of the change.
A May 14 statement from DeKalb County said since Pratt Industries Inc. “no longer accepts plastics #3 through #7, the Sanitation Division is required to eliminate these plastics from its residential and commercial single-stream recycling programs to avoid recycling contamination and potential contamination fines.”
Glass recycling was eliminated from the program in 2017. An announcement on the DeKalb County website said the county provides glass recycling drop-off containers in strategic locations throughout each commission district.
“This approach maintains the integrity of recycled glass, and makes this recyclable item a much more marketable and valuable resource,” the statement said.
The new acceptable list does not include plastics numbered #3-#7 and shredded paper.
Live Thrive’s Center for Hard to Recycle Materials, with two Atlanta locations, accepts a variety of materials, including plastic containers from #1 to #6, but recyclers have to make an appointment in advance of drop-off.
