Center for hard-to-recycle materials set to open, so c'mon already get rid of that old TV
Bring out the junk that even landfills don't want
Just in time for Earth Day, Atlanta’s first permanent drop-off facility for hard-to-recycle materials will launch on April 18.
The Center for Hard to Recycle Materials, or CHaRM, at 1110 Hill St. in Chosewood Park will take just about any material you can think of, and some you might not have guessed were recyclable. A far-from-complete list includes batteries, electronics, paint, tires, mattresses, Styrofoam, even old toilets and tennis shoes.
CHaRM is a program of Live Thrive Atlanta, a five-year-old nonprofit that has partnered with Atlanta City Council members on popular one-day hazardous material recycling events around town. In fact, CHaRM’s opening day will double as Councilwoman Carla Smith’s annual “EcoDepot” recycling event, formerly held at Turner Field.
“I’m thrilled we can properly dispose of our recyclable waste on our schedule instead of just once a year, which will provide more stable sustainability for Atlanta,” says Smith, who joined Councilman Alex Wan in sponsoring city backing for CHaRM.
The city isn’t funding the facility, but is offering the land for a dollar a year. Mayor Kasim Reed praised CHaRM in a written statement to Creative Loafing.
“As the City of Atlanta strives to become a more sustainable city, part of that charge includes increasing our residential recycling rates,” the mayor says. “The CHaRM center handles materials that cannot be recycled by traditional processers and is an excellent resource for residents and business. By diverting all recyclable materials from our landfills and promoting the reuse of durable goods, we are growing the local economy and protecting our environment for years to come.”
Many other cities have one or more CHaRM-like centers. Live Thrive board president Nicholas Niespodziani says the hope is the facility will multiply around Atlanta as people see its benefits.
CHaRM is an easy-to-use facility, as CL saw at an April 8 preview tour led by Live Thrive Executive Director Peggy Whitlow Ratcliffe. The 4-acre lot is lined with drop-off stations for the various materials. People can drive through the site, and volunteers will help them unload the materials and answer questions. Each station is operated by an independent nonprofit or company.
The stations are labeled with banners that include info on where the recycled materials end up, such as tires turning into new roadway asphalt. That’s partly to encourage people to keep coming. It also ties into CHaRM’s educational mission, which will include on-site and off-site classes for schoolkids and others.
“Education is key to making this work the way we want it to,” says Ratcliffe.
Many items can be dropped off for free. For certain items, such as TVs, CHaRM charges a drop-off fee. Ratcliffe says that is partly due to the expense of recycling particularly nasty items, and partly to discourage large companies from overwhelming CHaRM with huge waste-dumpings. But CHaRM is also flexible—for example, it might waive the fee for someone who is unable to pay.
CHaRM is about reusing items, too, such as building materials and bicycles. Ratcliffe says they’re working with the Atlanta Symphony on a musical instrument reuse program, and the Boys and Girls Club on sports-gear reuse. Those programs could put such items in the hands of kids who can’t afford them.
CHaRM will operate year-round on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. For more info, see livethrive.org/charm.