Keeping Carroll County beautiful through recycling

story by Wayne J. Reynolds

Keep Carroll Beautiful is a statement pretty much every Carroll resident can agree with! And, every day of the year, Keep Carroll Beautiful (KCB), a local non profit organization since 2005, strives to do just that. KCB Executive Director Martyna Griffin explained, “We are Carroll County’s environmentally oriented non-profit focusing on litter removal and prevention, hard to recycle items, and small beautification projects.” KCB is a certified affiliate of Keep America

Beautiful. This non-profit relies on sponsors, local businesses, donations, and grant funding.

Martyna is a native of Poland and came to the United States in 2008. She has a Masters in Business Administration with a focus on marketing She says she has always been involved in the community. She began volunteering with Keep Carroll Beautiful and The Friends of the Greenbelt in 2016. When the KCB executive director position came open, she applied, was accepted, and began working in February, 2020. Martyna said, “Recycling is a tricky business. Sometimes less is more. Overfilling or trying to recycle too much may cause contamination. We love the commitment, but please make sure you read the labels and the signs at the convenience centers. It is so helpful to recycle - it keeps these types of items out of the landfill.

“We host three recycling events each year. Our most popular event is our electronics event with Southwire which we have done together for 15 years. In the spring, it is held in both Villa Rica and Carrollton, and the fall event, October 7th, is in Carrollton only. We accept all types of electronics from computers and printers to any type of electronics.”

On May 20th, they hosted a hazardous wastes recycling event which included such items as paint, batteries, fertilizer, and other items toxic to the environment. KCB is planning to hold a paint collection event in the fall as well.

“Our newest event is ‘Tired of Tires’ which was just completed June 10th.This has been extremely successful. Last year, we collected 140 tons of tires which we shipped to a recycling company in Jackson, Georgia. Since we began partnering with Carroll County and the STAR EPD grant, which the county applied for, we have gone from 20 to 30 tons collected to the 140 tons last year.

“The event is held twice a year at the Carroll County Transfer Station on Simonton Road. We partner with the county on various projects with Solid Waste Manager Jacqueline Dost who was the previous director here and sits on our board. She and the county have been a great partner.”

Martyna mentioned that they now partner with the county on glass recycling and in 2022 they collected 70 tons of glass.

“We are trying to educate what is possible to recycle at the county convenience centers and what is not possible - what not be thrown away and not allowed to get to any landfills - which is why we hold the events like for tires, electronics, and hazardous wastes. At the same time, we have an educational role as well. We try to share what should traditionally be recycled with the county centers as well as not. We are always available to speak to civic groups, schools, on the radio, and articles like this opportunity with StarNews.”

Recycling statistics for 2022: KCB collected 45,804 pounds of electronics; 5,789 pounds of hazardous wastes; 2,500 pounds of paper documents shredded; 70 tons of glass; and 140 tons of tires. In litter prevention, they collected 4,129 pounds, which is 454 bags of trash; 25 roads cleaned; 742 volunteers; and 1,133 hours spent removing litter.

Martyna was particularly proud of the community gardens they sponsored in Whitesburg and Knox Park. She exclaimed that last year the Whitesburg garden produced over 100 pounds of produce to food drives and that amount will be increased this year.

Martyna also mentioned that this is all possible because of sponsors like Southwire, CFWG Impact Grant, Carroll EMC Foundation, Alice Huffard Richards Charitable Fund, and all the local citizens and businesses who donated and volunteered, and the Carroll County government.

Martyna added, “If you have a question on recycling, volunteering, or donations, please call her or Office Manager Cathy Robinson at 678-321-4816; email them at info@keepcarrollbeautiful.org; or visit keepcarrollbeautiful.org. They are located at their new permanent home at 213 Bradley Street, just off Adamson Square in downtown Carrollton. Keep Carroll Beautiful is open Tuesday: 10 am to 2 pm Wednesday, 10 am to 2 pm, Thursday: 10 am to 2 pm, and Friday: 10 am to 2 pm.

story by Wayne J. Reynolds

Do you know where the closest trash/recycling center is to your home if you live in Carroll County? And do you know how many centers are in the county?

“In Carroll County, you are within about ten miles of the nearest convenience center for your trash and recycling,” said Carroll County Solid Waste Manager Jacqueline Dost. Jacqueline heads Carroll County’s new department, Solid Waste, which was spun off Public Works July 1, 2022.

Dost is responsible for the activities at the landfill on Grady Road, the transfer station on Simington Mill Road, and the ten convenience centers. “Every bit of trash in Carroll County comes to the transfer station before it is loaded onto tractor trailers and hauled to the landfill. We take in anywhere from 200 tons to over 400 tons that comes into the transfer station. Last month, we had two days where over 430 tons came in. Trash to the station comes from everywhere, the City of Carrollton, all ten convenience centers, and throughout Carroll County. Every bit of trash collected in the county comes to the transfer station,” she said.

“I am responsible for the ten convenience centers including Temple where we are just completing a major renovation which includes two compactors and adding glass recycling. Along with Dyer Road and Newnan Road, Temple are the three largest centers and are open seven days a week. Other centers are open on alternate days depending on the location.”

Convenience Centers are located at Highway 5 Tyus-Carrollton, Newnan Road, Carrollton, Highway 5 East Lowell, KansasJake Road, Bowdon, Sammy Duke Road, Whitesburg, Dyer Road, Carrollton, New Hope Rad, Bowdon, Holly Springs Road, Bowdon Junction, Simington Mill Road, Carrollton, and Old Villa Rica Road, Temple. (See the Carroll County website or Keep Carroll Beautiful website for hours and days as well as what each location accepts.)

Dost said, “It has been a great partnership with Keep Carroll Beautiful with their great social media reach and focus on recycling.” She added that the smaller locations average 100 to 200 vehicles a day while Temple, Dyer Road, and Newnan Road average between 1500 to 2000 vehicles a day.

“Glass recycling has been a great benefit to the county in that it is revenue neutral. Glass is heavy and doesn’t break down, but through a company that actually began with Keep Carroll Beautiful to handle the glass for us. We do generate revenue with cardboard and metal.”

Nationwide, Dost said the issues with curbside recycling pick-up - the cost of fuel and manpower - it is not advantageous for communities to have that. She did say that it is probably her most asked question when out in the community. Trash is a nationwide concern as it is in Carroll County.

According to a study by Columbia University, Americans trash seven pounds of material per person every single day - that’s 2,555 pounds of material per American every year. A staggering 90% of all raw materials extracted in the U.S. are ultimately dumped into landfills or burned in incinerators (pirg.org)

Part of her responsibility is education which she does in partnership with Keep Carroll Beautiful about how easy it is to use the convenience centers. “For every ton we can recycle is one less ton that goes into the landfill.” She said she is available to speak to groups.

Dost said the department is now fully staffed at all locations and includes three full time truck drivers at the transfer station. She expressed how grateful she was for the hardworking staff she has, mindful of the type of work they do.

Dost got into the recycling program business when she was approached in 2005 about getting involved in Keep Carroll Beautiful (KCB). She holds a degree in public policy and said she has always had a “love of service”. She had three major goals when taking on the solid waste department challenge. She wanted to complete the Temple renovation which will be done in the next weeks; organize the department; and work on another transfer station.

“We have outgrown our current station and the board is looking for another location, but it is probably a minute away. It is something we are looking into for the future.”

In conclusion, she commented, “Please recycle, use those convenience centers. It reduces costs, saves using the landfill, and by recycling increases revenues by recycling metal, plastic, and cardboard and glass. She is so passionate about her job that she asked to publicize her cell phone number: 470-4098875 Feel free to contact her if you have questions or suggestions. You can also email her at jdost@carrollcountyga.com.

Visit carrollcountyga.com for more information on the convenience centers.