Atlanta's ongoing battle to actively improve its recycling program has been highlighted once more in two separate audits, revealing that despite progress, there's still significant ground to cover. FOX 5 Atlanta reports on a recent audit released this month by the City Auditor's Office, emphasizing the city's 23% recycling rate of total garbage—up from 11% in 2016 but still shy of the Environmental Protection Agency's 26% benchmark. Buckhead's Service Area 5 boasts a higher rate of 25%, while other areas lag behind with rates between 15-21%.
The FOX 5 Atlanta audit draws attention to the lack of a "specific waste diversion goal," inefficient tracking systems, and mismanagement, including overpayment issues. Moreover, this audit suggests that the city needs critically to study the costs and benefits of accepting glass in curbside recycling due to the contaminating effects of glass on other recyclables and the additional processing costs involved.
In a parallel note, 11Alive reports that concern is rising among residents regarding the uncertainties surrounding the final destination of recyclables. "I recycle a lot. And I wonder, where is it going?" questioned Shulanda, an Old Fourth Ward resident, in an interview with 11Alive. The audit reviewed by 11Alive specifically criticizes the city for not enforcing current ordinances that require recycling options be provided in apartment complexes and multifamily residences.
Both audits agree on the apparent problem of contamination, which affects 20% of the city's recyclable materials, undermining the efficiency of recycling efforts throughout Atlanta. In response to the critiques, Atlanta's city officials have agreed per 11Alive to increase their recycling awareness campaigns and to substantially improve recycling services at multifamily homes by the end of the current year, aiming for a wide-reaching and more inclusive program.
Atlanta's efforts to integrate glass within its single-stream recycling system have been both unique and problematic. This aspect of the recycling process has been called into question due to complications arising from glass contamination, with the FOX 5 Atlanta audit reporting that only 40% of glass is accepted. On the other hand, it notes that Atlanta is one of the few municipalities that accepts glass as part of curbside collection, presenting both challenges and opportunities for the city's recycling infrastructure.
