If you live in unincorporated DeKalb County or a DeKalb city where the County takes care of trash pickup for you, you have long been blessed with twice weekly trash pickup. However, that may all soon change.
County CEO Lee May is proposing scaling back pick up to once a week. The proposal comes after a three-month pilot program with 28,000 residents from the cities of Brookhaven, Chamblee, Dunwoody and Lithonia and unincorporated DeKalb, according to Crossroads News.
A note today from Commissioner Kathie Gannon announcing a meeting next Monday, February 9th at 6:30p at Scott-Candler Library to discuss the proposed changes, explains the reason for “One-day-a-week waste collection” this way – “Currently, garbage is collected twice a week for DeKalb County residents. On the first collection day, Sanitation picks up more than 66 percent of countywide garbage. This leaves a much lighter second-day collection.”
Additionally, the sanitary service rate sounds like it will remain flat. The note states that “Residential customers will not experience a rate increase.” It includes these other proposed changes to the DeKalb trash pick up services…
- Standardized containers. The standardized use of 65-gallon green county-provided trash containers will ensure neighborhoods are cleaner and neater with the reduction of loose trash.
- Consolidated collection. With consolidated collection, all waste (solid waste, recycling, and yard trimmings) will be collected on the same day.
- Additional benefits to county residents. The program will include a renewed focus on recycling education for county residents and additional roadside litter collection by Sanitation employees.
The note states that the proposal is “set to be heard for a vote at an upcoming Board of Commissioners meeting.”
Photo courtesy of YouTube
We are part of the pilot program for once a week pickup. The second and third points above may be true, but it has definitely not led to cleaner and neater neighborhoods. The Sanitation department frequently neglects to pick up items, and then they sit at the curb until the next week. We are supposed to be able to call and they will come back the next day, but I haven’t seen it happen yet. Also, the trucks are now so full that trash falls out of the back between stops, and blows all over the street. I have hopes that these drawbacks will be addressed and this will eventually benefit the residents of unincorporated DeKalb. Lower Sanitation bills are always a plus.
“Consolidated collection. With consolidated collection, all waste (solid waste, recycling, and yard trimmings) will be collected on the same day.”
Ask your neighbors in Kirkwood how reliably Atlanta manages to pick up all three waste streams in the same day. Great in concept, but the yard waste collection lags by days, if it happens at all.
I have been in the pilot and it has been great. Most everyone recycles in our neighborhood and twice a week pick-up is not necessary for trash. I also prefer to consolidate the tasks of dealing with trash recycling and yard waste to one day.