DeKalb Recycling Subscription Service

9/1/2005: DeKalb County now sponsors a recycling subscription service for residents to recycle a variety of household items including all grades of paper, glass bottles, plastic containers with recycle symbol numbers 1 through 7 (no food residue and no motor oil containers), and all steel (tin) and aluminum cans.

All single-family residents who receive the county's solid waste collection services can participate in the program, including residents of Lithonia.

Curbside collections will be done on Wednesdays. Paper goes in the bins; other recyclables go into the bags.

The initial cost of $30 covers materials, $15 for a blue plastic bin, and $15 as needed for a box of 100 blue plastic bags.

Applications can be found on the county Web site at www.co.dekalb.ga.us.

More recycling options

Tuesdays: aluminum cans (not metal) will be collected with your trash if you tie them up in a plastic grocery bag. Crush them if possible.

Thursdays: Yard waste should be in open trash bins or paper yard waste bags. Yard debris in plastic bags will not be picked up. Limbs should be under six feet long. And try to wait until Wednesday night to put out your yard debris if possible.

Fridays: Newspapers will be collected with your trash if you tie them together or pack them in a paper grocery bag.

Several recycling centers are within a short drive from here.

DeKalb Farmers Market collects yellow, brown, green and clear bottles, plastic containers, phonebooks, metal vegetable cans, newspapers, aluminum, cardboard, white computer paper, and magazines.

Publix collects plastic grocery bags.

Chamblee Plaza has a recycling bin for phonebooks.

Ashford Park Elementary has a newspaper-recycling bin by the loading dock.

Any dry cleaner will take your metal shirt or pant hangers.

Other recycling centers are listed in the yellow pages and accept tires, scrap metal such as old gutters, mailboxes, swing sets and other miscellaneous items.

Got Paint?

After the renovations, after the touch-up period has expired, after you’ve completely forgotten about it, there sit your stacks of old paint cans, a hazardous waste albatross hanging around your house. So what can you do with it?

First, check the label to see if any lead or hazardous materials are in it. Some old paints call for hazardous waste disposal. But if not, here are some fresh options:

· Give the paint away as a means of reusing

· Mix light colors with other light colors, or dark colors with other dark colors. A shade of gray or brown makes a good base for further painting.

· If disposal is necessary, take the lid off and let the paint air dry in the can. To speed up the process, stir in an absorbent material such as clay kitty litter, sawdust, or leftover concrete mix. After the paint is completely dry, no moisture whatsoever, wrap the dried clump in newspaper and place into your regular trash. Do not place the lid back on the can. Wrap the lid and can separately in newspaper for disposal. This option works best for latex paints because oil based paints require an extensive time to dry.

· Mix a quick-drying concrete product per the instructions. Add no more than two quarts of the leftover paint. Mix thoroughly and pour into forms to make pastel stepping stones. Or depending on how much you have, maybe you can pour yourself a pastel driveway. <kidding!>

Get creative, go crazy, but recycle safely.