If Decatur Wins Coca-Cola Recycling Grant, Residents Will Get 65 Gallon Bins
Decatur Metro | August 25, 2011While trolling the Decatur city’s website a couple days back, I saw this item on the Environmental Sustainability Board’s agenda from last month…
Coca-Cola Curbside Accelleration Recycling Grant: City is a finalist in the program. City applying for a $200k grant. Funds would be used for an education campaign and also to provide 65 gallon wheeled bins.
I checked with the city’s Resource Conservation Coordinator Lena Stevens and confirmed that this was still underway. She replied…
The City of Decatur is a finalist in a grant from Coca Cola called the Curbside Acceleration Recycling Program. We applied for $200,000 to provide rolling recycling carts for those who want them, and also for an educational campaign around recycling. The winners haven’t been announced yet, so we’re waiting with fingers crossed. We had a phone call with Coke representatives 2 weeks ago, and they expected an announcement in 4-6 weeks.
Currently, the only option for Decatur residents – in addition to the free, 18 gallon bins – are 95 gallon wheeled bins that cost $68 a pop.
Latest from Decaturish
Really really hoping Decatur wins. And really really hoping the new bins are Coca-Cola red! In the meantime I’m placing my order of a 95-gallon bin on hold.
I hope the education campaign is meant to prevent people from dying in their new bins.
http://www.toledoblade.com/Police-Fire/2011/08/09/E-Toledo-woman-dies-in-fall-into-recycling-bin.html
This is giving me the shudders and I’m not sure whether it’s because it’s so sad or because I wonder if it could have happened to any of us. I have a tendency to be stubborn and try to do things myself even when I know I ought to wait and ask for help. It’s true that buckets/barrels are a proven danger to young children, more commonly related to injury or death than you’d think.
I don’t understand – why do we need 65 gallon recycle bins if they pick up weekly? Who drinks that much bottled water – who reads that many newspapers?
(On the other hand, I think my wife single handedly keeps the cardboard box industry going with her online purchases.)
For me, the magic is not the large capacity but the fact that it ROLLS. I have chronic back trouble and there is no good way for me to pick up one of the current bins and carry it to the curb, especially if I need to avoid it dribbling dirty rainwater on my flip flops. Atlanta had recycling bins with tow ropes and wheels on one side years ago, I’ve always wondered why we don’t.
My household of two always has 2 bins on the street and we aren’t big consumers of packaged foods or anything else (except wine, of course). We just recycle like crazy. I imagine a family of 4 or 5 would really enjoy one trip to the curb instead of several. Plus, wheels are awesome!
I bought one of the 95 gallon bins from our recylcing provider a few months ago and it’s great!
usually we fill it half – two thirds up, but if I forget to set it on the curb, no prob, still room to go!
That too — not having to put it on the curb weekly is nice.
With the 95 gallon bins, we always recycle more than we throw in the trash. They are great!
We too have a 95 gallon recycling bin. If the result is that 65 gallon bins become available to all residents, then it will be that much easier for everyone to recycle.
If you haven’t already done it, I highly recommend signing up for the Decatur 101 course offered through the city. (http://www.decaturga.com/index.aspx?page=158). It was a great experience to learn about the services the city provides, and meet the great people who provide them.
I recall learning how the city has made creative and deliberate choice to make it easier to be green. Such as positioning recycling bins closer and in more accessible locations throughout their offices. -While putting the garbage bins a little further away. Simple things that make it easy to do the right thing.
I love our big recycling container because it rolls. And because I can get the recycling to the curb in the morning without ending up with some unidentifiable drizzle on my clothes.