Bar owners in Athens are trying to go green - saving money and the environment - by recycling bottles, boxes and kegs.
The Post surveyed 15 bars Uptown, and only one of the 10 bars that responded did no recycling at all. Bar owners who recycle, such as Tony Sylvester, owner of Tony's Tavern, 7 W. State St., said the benefits outweigh the hassle of sorting materials.
It's cheaper for me because I don't have to have my dumpster picked up five days a week
and that's saving me money Sylvester said. Plus I'm already paying these guys to work behind the bar
so for them to put the bottles behind there is not a big deal.
Although bars currently put their trash and recycling on the curb, the Clear Litter Everywhere in Athens Now committee wants bars to use communal dumpsters and recycling bins to eliminate curbside trash pick up. The committee has already placed one site on the first block of Court Street - increasing recycling on that block - and in another trial neighborhood, said Michele Drabold, the committee's coordinator. The effort could expand soon to include the rest of Court Street, she added.
The trash and the recycling was sitting out on the street
Drabold said. It's really unsightly
and the trash flows everywhere
and the recycling gets contaminated by people throwing trash everywhere.
Sylvester said he doesn't think the committee's plan would be effective uptown because trash isn't picked up during the weekends - the bars' busiest time.
What are these alleys going to look like? he said. They're talking about the beautification of Athens
but how beautiful is it going to look if every weekend it looks like a bomb went off?
Drabold said the committee's plan would consolidate the mess.
It's improved the amount of recycling
but it's also improving the unsightliness of the street
she said. For a high-density area
a localized site is a more efficient way to deal with a lot of this stuff.
Until communal sites reach all the way down Court Street, local bars will stick to their own waste control strategies, particularly for recyclables, she said.
Empty beer bottles are returned to their original cases so the glass and cardboard can be recycled, Sylvester said. Many bars use the same method when recycling cardboard and glass.
You just roll with the punches
