DeKalb on the other hand, doesn’t really have much of business reason to recycle since it owns a landfill with 70 years of capacity (purchased in the 70’s and 80’s). While the County collected 0k from selling recycleables to a vendor last year, that doesn’t cover the cost of collecting recycleables every Wednesday. It’s unfortunate but the economics are as favorable to recycling, yet DeKalb does it largely because citizens expect it and it is the right thing to do.

One of the reasons Atlanta, DeKalb and many jurisdictions don’t adopt pay as you sytems is because the governments are afraid that some residents will take their trash to somebody else’s dumpster, or simply take it to some deserted spot. Enforcing and managing payt is easier in Decatur than other places.

I get that curbside recycling has hurt organizations that used to collect cans and paper, but on balance it seems to me that it is better for all of us if we recycle more stuff and put less stuff in the landfill. I’m guessing the amount recycled in the old days when you had to take it to the school or wherever is a fraction of what is recycled today at the curb.

DeKalb garbage pick up sounds good. Nothing (except lower taxes) else about living in unincorporated DeKalb appeals to me.