Politics & Government

Blue Recyclable Bins Replace Mini Black Ones

The switch is part of an effort to reduce cost for the city of Atlanta.

 

By now, nearly every Atlanta home should have received a 96-gallon blue recycling bin.

Those containers replace the smaller, black 18-gallon bins that residents have been using.

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That's caused confusion from some residents who now have both types of container. The city's public works department says residents may continue to use both as they see fit.

If you no longer want both, you can simply place the black bin inside the blue one and the city will recycle it.

Find out what's happening in Virginia Highland-Druid Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The larger bins are part of Mayor Kasim Reed's push to reduce the city's costs related to trash.

Currently, city residents produce 96,000 tons of trash annually, which costs the city $7 million a year to dispose of in landfills.

But Atlanta residents only recycle about 12,000 tons per year, leading Reed's push to reduce what goes to landfills.

In addition to the environmental benefits, diverting recyclables from landfills produces revenue for the city at a rate of $30 per ton.


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