As many students move off-campus, some begin to wonder how to continue recycling. Most people don't realize that recycling is not only beneficial to the environment, but your wallet as well.
The City of Athens has a contract with Athens-Hocking Recycling for the use of their services, which includes all residential homes within city limits and uptown. These areas are required to use their services, said Michael Gosnell, solid waste control officer. Recyclables are collected for a charge of $2.50 per month.
Recyclable materials are No. 1 and No. 2 plastics; brown, green or clear glass; aluminum; cardboard; paperboard and mixed office paper; and steel cans. Be sure to keep materials separated within the red bin. If the materials are not properly sorted, the bins will not be collected. If you have more recyclables than can fit in the bin, a separate additional box may be used, Gosnell said.
For residents who don't have access to curbside pick up, Athens-Hocking Recycling offers the option to drop-off recyclables at their facility locations.
The Athens County Recycling Facility is located in Chauncey, off State Route 13 and Sandridge Road. Drop-off hours are 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday.
By recycling more household trash, residents avoid having to pay for extra trash removal. Gosnell hopes the idea takes hold.
I hope everyone does choose to recycle. It helps to keep the cost of trash disposal lower
he said.
Athens charges $5.50 per month for the disposal of one 30-gallon container per week, and it is $9.50 per month for two 30-gallon containers. Additional containers must have a sticker placed on them.
The sticker may be purchased at the City Building in the Utilities Billing Office for $1.50 per sticker. Any extra containers without a sticker will result in a $3.00 per container fee.
Residents should place stickers on their trash. The price of a sticker is half of what it would cost in fines if they don't have a sticker on the container, Gosnell said.
All trash must be placed curbside by 7:30 a.m. and may be placed in either bags or cans.
A resident can be charged a possible $100 fine if they throw trash on someone else's property. Fines might also result if a resident lets trash accumulate for more than seven days. The fines start at $20 and will increase by $20 for each offense and could result in a maximum fine of $100.
To help keep vermin and litter down, trash that is stored by the side of the house on non-pick up days must be kept in cans with watertight lids, Gosnell said. After collection, containers must be brought in that evening by sundown.
Residents whose trash isn't taken by the city have recycling, too.
The Athens-Hocking Recycling Pay-As-You-Throw program proves it really does pay to recycle by encouraging residents to reduce household waste and practice active recycle methods with a pay less incentive.
Pay-As-You-Throw is a volume-based program, said Roger Bail, operations coordinator for Athens-Hocking Recycling. The recycling fee is a set amount, and there is no limit to how much you can recycle.
Residents can save money by simply separating recyclable items from non-recyclable items.
The more you recycle the more you save Bail said.
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