About one-fourth of Americans say they'll discard a large piece of furniture when moving rather than recycle or sell it, reports a new survey. Since 40 million Americans move each year, that means about 10 million will leave behind a sofa or other large item, which often end up in landfills.

As we head into moving season in Athens, keep in mind your local options and don't toss your furniture in the trash. There are plenty of area non-profits that will even pick up that old sofa you no longer want! Put a phone call in to one of these places and RECYCLE:

Athens Habitat ReStore - 706-354-0936

Goodwill - 706-433-1900

The Salvation Army

Athens Thrift Store - 706-546-5596 drop-off or 706-357-9244 pick-up

Donations are tax deductible! Click HERE for more on the survey.

Posted by Katie Throne

Tags: Recycle | Athens

The Classic Center & Athens-Clarke County Recycling Division invites professional and amateur Athens artists of all backgrounds to participate in a Request for Design proposal for a combination outdoor recycling bin. The unit shall be designed to have one bin for aluminum cans, glass and plastic bottles, and a second bin for small cardboard and paper items (i.e.: newspapers, magazines, etc.).The primary goals of this project are as follows:

• Provide a pedestrian recycling option which will reduce the burden on our local landfill;

• Support of our local artists and the arts;

• Beautify downtown with artistic recycling bins.

Proposals due by 2pm June 11th. Selected artist recieves an honorarium of $500. Click HERE for more info.

Posted by Katie Throne

Tags: Athens | Recycle

     If you've ever walked through North campus after a football game, you've probably been shocked at how little some UGA fans and visitors respect our beautiful campus while tailgating. It usually looks like a bomb went off.

     This year, UGA has amped up their recycling program to encourage football fans to clean up after themselves and be smart about it. Check out a must-watch video HERE with tips for keeping campus clean. Make sure you utilize the resources available, including NEW Dawg House recycling bins:

• Clear recycling bags are available at any campus parking deck (to find a parking deck, click here), as well as many surface lots on campus. Please bag all recyclables (you can mix cans, cardboard, glass and plastic) and leave them at your tailgate with your trash bags, or

• Deposit your recyclables in the new Dawg House recycling bins. These will be located on your way to the stadium and you can deposit cans, glass and plastic bottles.

     Also, say thanks to the student volunteers you see wearing yellow "Recycle" t-shirts. You can read about their grassroots effort HERE.

Posted by Katie Throne

Tags: UGA | Recycle

Remember the good ole days — back when we only had one bin for trash? In retrospect, those days were actually more wasteful that good. We sent things to the landfill that might have nourished our yards, and buried them side-by-side with materials which should have been reclaimed and put back in the production chain.

Today, most of us have two bins: one for compost, and another for recycling. They’re great for reducing curbside trash. But not everything suitable for one bin or the other.

We’ve rounded up thirty things people mistakenly try to compost or recycle. In the case of composting, we chose items generally avoided by experienced compost gurus. For recycling, we’ve picked things prohibited by most municipal sytems, or of limited use to commercial recyclers. Ready? To the bins! Click HERE for the round up. Source: www.lighterfootstep.com

Posted by Katie Throne

Tags: compost | recycle