Residents from three cities dropped off more than 20 tons of paint, electronics and Styrofoam at a free hazardous waste drive Aug. 22.
The City of Brookhaven partnered with Chamblee, Doraville, nonprofit Live Thrive and Keep Chamblee Beautiful to host the Household Hazardous Waste Collection and Recycling event in Plaza Fiesta's parking lot at 4166 Buford Hwy. in Chamblee. A total of 308 cars lined up during the four-hour, appointment-only drive, which ran from 8 a.m. to noon, according to a Brookhaven city press release.
Live Thrive, the metro Atlanta nonprofit founded in 2010 by Peggy Whitlow Ratcliffe, handled recycling and disposal of all collected materials. The organization called it its most well-attended event ever.
The final tally: 41,226 pounds diverted. Paint and chemicals made up the bulk at 27,783 pounds. Electronics, including old TVs, computers and printers, accounted for 10,218 pounds. Household goods and textiles added 1,022 pounds, followed by 502 pounds of Styrofoam and 284 pounds of plastic film.
Staff from Brookhaven's Public Works, Facilities, and Park and Recreation departments worked the drive alongside Live Thrive volunteers. The event was limited to household quantities from Brookhaven, Chamblee and Doraville residents. No commercial or industrial waste was accepted.
Brookhaven has partnered with Live Thrive through its Sustainable Brookhaven initiative, which manages the city's environmental and infrastructure programs.
The waste drive also figured into a broader milestone. Brookhaven on Sept. 14 earned the National Wildlife Federation's Community Wildlife Habitat certification, becoming the 185th community in the country and the 10th in Georgia to receive the designation, according to a city announcement. The city cited doubling its household hazardous waste recycling program among the sustainability achievements that qualified it.
"It really shows what can be accomplished when we work together," Mayor John Park said in the Sept. 14 announcement about the wildlife habitat certification.
