The enlarged Smyrna Recycling Center is open for business at its new location at 3475 Lake Drive, Smyrna, a block off South Cobb Drive.
“We are fully operational,” said Ann Kirk, executive director of Keep Smyrna Beautiful.
A Ribbon Cutting Ceremony is planned for May 9 at 10 a.m.
With a full time staff of three, the new location is also the new home of Keep Smyrna Beautiful. The Recycling Center has one full time employee and may soon hire two part time workers, and the two-person staff of Keep Smyrna Beautiful, are located in the building.
The hours are the same and when new part-time recycling positions are filled, the Center will be open Monday- Saturdays.
The new center is not only larger, but safer, as cars and trucks have expanded space to drive through. Two new balers allow cardboard and plastic to be baled and stored until a truckload is ready to be picked up.
“This is more efficient and saves on hauling costs,” Kirk said.
The Smyrna Hill Center was opened in 1991 on the site of the former Public Works facility as a project of Keep Smyrna Beautiful and the City of Smyrna. The old building served thousands of residents not only as at a place to recycle, but also as a place to learn about the reduction and proper handling of waste that they create. It has also hosted many volunteer events.
The gates closed April 11 for the last time at the old Recycling Center at 645 Smyrna Hill Drive. A large map to the new center (less than a mile away from the old center) hangs on the gate of the site.
The 7,200 square foot building on nearly an acre of land was remodeled from the former Lance Oil and now includes offices and warehouse. The cost of $1.5 million was paid through the 2011 SPLOST funding.
“We cleaned the building and created office space,” she said.
The building includes a classroom/conference room and has space for community service workers to get out of the weather.
Kirk thanked Councilman Charles “Corky” Welch for working to make the site safe, convenient, centrally located and attractive. The building’s color scheme and architecture follows that of other city buildings.
In addition to the standard recycling fare of cans, newspaper, cardboard and plastics, the recycling center collects glass jars and bottles which are not allowed in curbside pickup. The center collects used cooking oil which is used in the city’s biodiesal program. Recycling is also available for lightbulbs, electronics (TVs have a $10 charge), shoes, ink-jet and toner cartridges, motor oil, cellphones and books, plus many more items.
Kirk stressed that “the new Recycling Center is free and open to everyone, not just Smyrna residents. The only items that we charge for are TV’s, monitors and appliances with refrigerants in them like air conditioners, refrigerators and dehumidifiers, and it is the same fee for The recycling center served some 19,800 patrons and is one of just a handful of municipal recycling centers in the state. That use saved some 17,377 cubic yards of landfill space.
From the May 2015 issue of The Bright Side, Cobb County Georgia’s Newspaper covering Smyrna, Vinings, Mableton and Austell, GA.
