Thrown Out With The Trash
Last night was the initial meeting of the all volunteer committee that is to make recommendations to the Gwinnett County Commissioners on how to best address the issue of Solid Waste Disposal in Gwinnett County. This committee has been referred to as “Commissioner Beaudrea’s Blue Ribbon Committee” or the “Gwinnett Sanitation Committee” or perhaps several other names that may not be able to be repeated. With there being a court injunction against the previous ordinance, the committee is going to be looking at the entire Solid Waste Disposal issue in Gwinnett County with a clean slate. I guess you could say the previous ordinance was thrown out with the trash.
5 Public Meetings
In order to accommodate residents there will be five (5) public meetings for citizens to voice their concerns and make recommendations they feel will be beneficial to both the citizens and the county. The meetings will be spread geographically throughout the county. As stated earlier the initial meeting was last night and the remaining four (4) meeting times and locations will be published here as well as other media so that every resident who wishes to be heard may do so.
What’s it all About?
As a member of the committee I think I should tell you that this is not just a committee of a bunch of “Yes Men and Women” who are giving lip service to the commissioners. It is safe to say that the main reason we are each involved is because we hope to be able to combine our collective years of experience in many different fields to come up, along with the citizens of Gwinnett County, a workable solution for the Solid Waste Disposal in Gwinnett County. I think we should define what this is really all about. It’s about “RECYCLING”. It’s about what is mandated by the state and it’s about the goals set forth by the state for reducing the amount of tonnage going into the landfills. It’s about how to obtain the best possible terms for the citizens of Gwinnett while meeting the mandates and goals set forth by the state. I think it is safe to say that there is no way possible to please every citizen of the county on this issue. There were even differing opinions expressed last night by citizens sitting in the same room face to face.
What to Expect
What you can expect here is total transparency. As the minutes from the previous meeting are approved by the committee they will be published here. As soon as the times and locations of each meeting are available they will be published here. As the committee settles on a recommended solution to any aspect of this issue it will be published here.
What Not To Expect
This is not going to be an avenue for “TRASHING” comments. Constructive comments or possible solutions are always welcome. Many Gwinnett residents posted questions and concerns regarding this issue in another post and did it in a very professional manner. Others elected to email me and did so with the same level of professionalism. I am requesting that we keep the comments in this post to the same high standards and use it as a constructive avenue as we all strive to achieve a common goal.
{ 1 trackback }
{ 109 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks Mack for everything so far. I don’t think any of us, who fought hard to stop a messed up system from going into effect, want to create a new mess. I know I want a beneficial trash system that allows choice, to be able to hold companies accountable, and to follow regulations setup by the state and local governments.
Has anyone seen the regulations that have been mandated? Part of the argument from the commissioners is about them, but I have not heard specifics. Are all the items they were supposed to be in the counties list really on the States recycling list?
What about the county being the collection arm for the old system. I for one do not want to open that can of worms. Once that happens, what would stop any other company/entity from wanting the same thing.
My last thing for now is what about enforcement of laws that are already on the books for illegal dumping. Why cant those be enforced? I know that’s a tough one to catch, but why penalize the law abiding citizens.
Thanks again for your involvement in this process. I am going to try and make it to the open meetings. And let my voice be heard. Let me know of anything more I can do to help.
Bryan
I think Gwinnett could greatly increase the amount of recycling going on by getting the word out. I know this sounds crazy to folks who are already recycling, but the truth is, I don’t know how- other than collecting my newspapers and periodically dropping them off at a bin near a school.
Gwinnett needs to put out informatin on recycling- what can be recycled and exactly how to identify it. What needs to be done to recycle, ie, wash out containers, bundle newspapers. Also, do all the current haulers have to offer recycling services? Do they charge extra for this (bad idea). My current hauler provided no sort of recycling bin.
Work this thru the schools- young people are very environmentally conscious-, libraries, community centers.
Sponsor a recycling day with kid friendly activities to get families to attend and learn. We also need information on how to get rid of hazardous waste. I know many places have days a couple of times a year where ‘hazardous’ items can be put out for pick up.
With promotion and a positive, informative message I think voluntary recycling could be massively increased in the county. And if, in the end, some sort of mandatory system becomes necessary the increased awareness might make it easier to convince folks to ‘bite the bullet.’
This is a great time to launch ‘working together’ and ’service’ campaigns.
Thank you Mack for being a part of this committe.
Last night we heard that most citizens want to chose who to do business with. Also there were great suggestions to use a “recycle bank”. Roberson stated that they could reduce solid waste with the recycle bank and may be able to reduce cost to the consumer. Using the recycle bank as a way of a rewards system to the consumer would draw more interest. The haulers should be required to have recyle bins along with a list of items to recycle. This plan seems as though it would work and may get us in compliance with the State mandate.
We also learned that most who attended the meeting did not want to have the county involved in collections of funds for this service. We would however like them to assist in making a list of items that can be recycled.
Education is the key in this program along with input from the citizens and open meetings like we had last night.
Thank you to all the new “blue ribbon” committee members and all your efforts. I hope that you will be looking into an opt-out plan for the residents that do not need garbage pickup. I currently do not have garbage pickup due to it is offered at my work. This fringe benefit has allowed me to save that much money and use it towards other bills. My household has only 2 adults, so the amount of garbage/recycle was only 1 to 2 bags a week. I do not have any problem explaining, showing, or proving, to anyone where I legally dump my garbage.
To say that ALL of these 20,000 residents without garbage service are illegally dumping is hard to swallow when I can show you where I dump my trash. Run some type of spread sheet to find these residents from what the haulers have on their data bases. If an opt-out plan is implemented, then require the residents to provide proof of where they are dumping there trash. By showing proof of a dumpster bill for like a business owner that brings his/hers garbage to their work dumpster. Insurance card from place of employment that shows company name with employee’s name, for the people that work for a company that is in the trash business. For the people doing a buddy system (2 homes, one can/recycle bin)and they split the bill, I’m not sure how that could be handled. I am a firm beleiver that 2 heads are better then one, so I hope that good suggestions will help this committee to resolve this trash mess.
Mack:
Great job on the information and I know you will represent us well.
1) Once received can you post the state’s solid waste ordinance online?
Involve the waste companies during this process, afterall they are the industry experts.
2) Let’s impose a check and balance system like we use for auto insurance to mandate all homes have service. Trash Haulers submit their billing list quarterly and then these list are run against property tax list and all those not on list get a fine or 10 days to produce prrof of trash service.
3) Break county into many zones and require all companies to pick up in the zones on the same day so trucks are not in streets five days per week.
4) Makle recycling mandatory for haulers doing business in Gwinnett.
5) Billing for service should not be onany current billing such as tax bills, I believe Fulton or City of Atlanta removed this from tax bills.
6) Publicize the schedule of these ‘blue ribbon” meeting well in advance.
7) Construct a website with a valid survey that deals with the issues that have come up for public input. Create the questions with no leading methods, be straight.
9) Get all county government agencies on board with the same plan for recycling.
10) Seek input from other cities that are on the cutting edge of solid waste plans.
11) Show the residents of Gwinnett some solid factual numbers on recycling and how it can generate money. What was the gros receipts for GCB recycling efforts.
12) Advertise the comittee meeting and plans through the use of the Gwnnett County Schools. Sned info home in Elementary Schools Friday folders and have it place on Middle and High Scholl websites.
13) Look at using some High School Students to help formulate solutions. This can be doen as class projects. The students are our future and they can think with no prejudice.
14) Include businesses in the recyling effort.
15) review the current ordinances and fines that are associated with illegal dumping and make them stiffer for those who violate them.
16) Penalize haulers if they do not comply.
17) Three words, market, market and market the plan!
18) Keep the spirit of capitalism alive through the use of the free market system.
Contact me if there is anything else I can do to assist.
Don
Hi Mack
Thanks for going. You mentioned the 4 future public meeting times, locations and minutes will be posted here as well as other media. What other forms of media will they be using? Also, will you keep all updates in this one post or multiple? I think keeping the public informed along the way is very important and I, like many, may not be able to attend the meetings, but would like to keep abreast of what is going on prior to any decisions being finalized.
The Gwinnett Daily Post was present at the first meeting and here is a link to the article they wrote:
http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/main.asp?SectionID=6&SubSectionID=84&ArticleID=55324
Mack, Along with everyone else, first, I want to say THANKS to you for becoming involved and being part of the solution. I was very happy with my former service (A-Z) and wasn’t quite prepared for all the changes. I think all the previous suggestions are great points. I live alone and will sometimes have only one bag of garbage and even a smaller amount of recycled goods. However, there are times that I have a lot of yard waste to be collected. When Waste Pro bought A-Z the fee for this pick-up doubled. I’ve researched the fees of competing trash collectors on a yearly basis and even though I am extremely concerned about the damage being done to the streets in our community because of multiple trucks I am still a firm believer in capitalism and competition. I thought the FCATM Board did a great job of educating our community about using one service and also getting the residents a discounted rate for cooperating. My only concern with A-Z was their refusal to accept more things that could have been recycled. Having said this, I would like to see Capitalism at work and let the haulers compete for services and possibly have our FCATM Board negotiate a deal with a specific hauler (as before). Maybe I’m just being naive but I know for sure that I don’t want any government telling me who to hire and I certainly don’t want them being responsible for said payment of such service. We are grown adults here capable of choosing who we want to haul away our trash. It’s not the government’s place. Just my two cents worth.
Again, I applaud you for stepping into this mess and being the responsible, involved citizen that we all should be.
I agree with most of the post here but specifically Louise4. EDUCATION! Earth day is coming, this will be a great day to celebrate our earth and our community with a learn to “recycle right” program.
The suggestions that include the haulers is great too. These businesses have make great investsments in our community. We as citizens do need to do our part in keeping our businesses thriving as well. The commission could simply devise a plan, require all haulers compliance, then devide the service area’s by how much each hauler “can” serve. I too love the free market system but the downside is that we wnd up with every neighborhood having a different hauler and thus working against our air quality improvement plan.
@Kathy Smith~You are welcome and you just contributed much more than two cents. For those who may not know the reference to FCATM made by Kathy is Flowers Crossing at The Mill Subdivision.
@Bobbi Francis~I agree that education is a very important part of this equation. Fortunately I am learning a lot about trash. I guess you could say I’m getting a crash trash course.
As you might remember there was very little press about this waste plan before it was voted in; little or no attempt at citizen input, no town halls, no blue ribbon panels. It wasn’t presented as forced compliance with state recycling or waste management, instead the arguments were presented as ‘20,000 households without collection’ , ‘garage is being dumped everywhere’. As one waste hauler commented ‘ if this were true don’t you think you would have seen garbage bags thrown everywhere’. Ask yourself, ‘why would supposedly capitalist free enterprise loving republicans be in favor of taking over of waste collection, reducing competition and growing the local government’?
The short answer is money.
The county wants to extract more money from homeowners but increasing taxes wouldn’t fly. Thus a new increased fee, hidden (out of site out of mind) in the property tax bill. Since the mortgage company pays most of them, few people are paying attention. Year by year the fees would slowly creep up along with higher waste bills. When the plan was about to go into effect the county was boasting in the press about the new revenue it was to receive not about waste and recycling compliance. Charles Bannister, when asked on TV about the court stopping the new plan offered the self assured comment that ‘we have new plan in the works and I’m sure the residents will like it”. The problem is that it will be difficult come up with a working plan since to my knowledge no one has stated exactly what real problem(s) are to be solved. The state maybe dictating some waste management/recycling requirements, I don’t have a problem with that, however, it’s my opinion that the county government has decided that the problem it wants to fix is ‘increasing it revenue’ and they aren’t going to allow any plan that doesn’t boost revenue.
First define the problem:
1. What is the current situation?
2. What is the new desired/required situation/outcome?
3. What is required to move from step one to step two?
4. Allow the marketplace/current/new providers to compete to
effectively and efficiently deliver the required changes/additions determined in step 3.
5. At the end of the process determine if and how much the county should
be allowed to assess/tax for the total service, voted on and not changeable without
public knowledge and a new vote.
6. At some time interval determine is step 4 is working or needs modification.
7. The county, as do all government entities, exist to serve the needs of its citizens
not the other way around, reminder your commissioners they serve at our pleasure.
Although we are all for doing what’s best for the environment, we also believe we should be able to compare prices & choose the trash removal company we want. The new prices put out by WastePro, if you include the yard waste which we need, is higher than what we’ve been paying. We were perfectly happy with the trash can we had & don’t want a new one. One was delivered to us anyway after the judge blocked the new plan. We also don’t like the idea of it being charged to our property tax bill. Please find another way to make people dispose of their trash properly that aren’t already doing so & leave those of us that follow the rules out of it.
I am also on the committee with Mack. I would like to clear up what seems to be a misconception. There was competitive pricing offered for the GCB plan that is now being revisited. This is because the companies bid on the work through a competitive bidding process. The companies with the lowest bids for the work won the bids. Any new plan should use the same process ensuring the taxpayers get the best price for the service.
It would be cost prohibitive for anyone to make exceptions to a basic service plan as some have asked for due to administrative costs.
I can only hope that if the county sells the recycled goods and the return is more than the administrative costs that this profit would be used to lower the fees charged the residents so that the system is self contained and any profit not go into the general fund. On the other hand there would have to be an administrative fee added to the bid of the winning contractor to cover administrative costs if we do not get more in return than the cost to recycle the goods. There is much to be figured out in regards to cost savings from landfill dumping fees as well for items being recycled.
Then there is the RecycleBank deal which while we have heard they give points for recycling that can be converted into various tangible items what hasn’t been mentioned is how their service is funded. They collect as a fee half of whatever we save in landfill fees every year. At this point we don’t even know how much we will save just by starting to allow the 35 items to be recycled without the RecycleBank system. Thus implementation does not make sense for the citizens until we establish a base point for what we will be doing under the new system before we can determine what additonal landfill savings would be accomplished adding the RecycleBank system.
There is much to be discussed and much benefits from a countywide program.
I would like to clarify something that came about in the court room with Judge Clark.
Ms. Wiggens was quick to point out that hits was NOT a bid process but a request for proposals (RFP). There are actually differences in these two processes.
The concerns is still if GCB had our pocket books in mind why did they choose two companies and not go with the true lowest cost (Advance)? The district breakdown was split from eight (8) to Six (6), the plan stated no hauler could have more than three districts which would have meant three companies.
I urge everyone to go look at the recyclebank website to learn about this program. I believe Allied/BFI/Robertson now all part of Republic Services is looking into this plan so they should be invited to join in the meetings.
http://www.recyclebank.com
Art, I still do not see why the county needs to handle the RFP/Bid process. We need to keep a free market system.
It also appears that the “mandatory 25% decrease ” is not true as the General Assembly removed that in 2005. I think this is page eight (8) of the Georgia Solid Waste Ordinance.
Art,
I don’t understand why you say “Any new plan should use the same process ensuring the taxpayers get the best price for the service.” Many people were getting better prices before the RFP process from GCB. And the best service is not always the lowest price. Also, it was not a fair process. They required a $2,000,000 bond for bidding on 3 areas as well as bidding on just 1 area.
Why does the county get to sell the recycled goods? It seems that whoever picks them up should get that and if they want to transfer it back to me through a recycle program such as RecycleBank then let them.
In a free competitive market prices are usually lower. The county can determine the requirements for being a “service provider.” They can make the 35 item recycling requirement part of getting a license to operate in Gwinnett. I would also think they could limit the number of haulers in the ordinance as well.
Art
First lets keep the county completely out of this situation with the exception that they have input as to what needs to be recycled. They do not need to handle any funds. As one person said ‘have you ever seen a tax go away or one that a polition did not like’. Let us chose who we want to do business with and at what price on the open market. The haulers can resolve this problem with a little input from the citizens. One hauler is already working on a solution by using the recycle bank idea.
Thanks for serving on this committee but let us get it right for the free market and the good of the citizens of Gwinnett County.
Hi Mack,
Although already mentioned, I want to “2nd” some of the comments posted especially thanking those who are serving on the committee.
I actually would not have a change with my current waste service as they were one of the companies who won the proposed contract. I initially chose them as they offered a good price for the services I wanted which included yard waste removal. I can even “turn off and on” my yard waste service as I need it and thus save my family money. They have provided me with excellent service and I have remained with them for several years.
Yet, in saying that, if I should become dissatisfied I have the choice to choose to discontinue and choose a new provider. MY Choice, not the government’s. Competition keeps costs down and service levels high.
That being said, Gwinnett county is trying to sell us this change with a claim that our cost for waste removal service will go down due to economy of scale. Yet, as typical with the government getting involved, the cost for my waste removal under the new program will actually GO UP a significant percentage even though I remain with the same company I have been with all along. No sale.
I understand that there will be greater recycling opportunity yet without better education of the public, this service will be under-utilized. How many people actually know just what can be recycled currently? Gwinnett county as well as the waste providers and even the local papers do a poor job in educating the public as to specifics. A simple comprehensive list, sent out with tag renewal or property tax bills could serve to update and remind the public of exactly they can and should toss into the bin.
When the idea of government mandated trash service was first suggested I know that MANY people, myself included, responded to voice an opinion. The response I received back indicated that my opinion was disregarded and that the decision for a comprehensive trash mandate was THE solution. It was going to happen, period. Now, waste employees are concerned about losing jobs and the companies that did win the initial contract have spent thousands to prepare to serve. Sounds like an expensive lawsuit to me in which Gwinnett surely is the loser and it’s citizens will get stuck with the bill.
Art;
Thanx for serving on the ‘Blue Ribbon Pannel. I will only ask a few questions of you.
1. You obviously feel that the only way the solid waste program can be resloved is through government intervention and billing. Can you pleases explain your reasonings (specific please) why this is necessary.
2. Your second paragraph, I think that was what it is supposed to be, starting “It would be cost prohibitive..” What do you mean by this statement? Please be specific since we have all heard many broad statements by various people that cannot be backed up with facts. To quote Joe Friday ‘ Just the facts sir, just the facts.’
Let me conclude with saying, at least you and Mack are willing to put your names out in public. How about the other eleven?
Good article in today’s Gwinnett Daily Post by Jamie Ward about the recycling centers current situation. This was front page, it was a little shocking to see the title change on the continuing interior to Something like next trash committe meeting this Thursday night.
The point here is that many people cannot plan to attend these meetings with 36 hour notice. These meetings need to be better advertised on the Gwinnett County site if they are official county meetings and posted on many websites.
I feel that many people who are interested in the trash plan may not read an article on the reycling center although they should.
“Blue Ribbon Committee”
How is the public to attend your meetings when no notice is given and we (I) accidently)found it as the last sentence of a Jamie Ward article on the recycling center.
I have check your website and GC’s every day and nothing, nothing at all about this meeting tomorrow at 6:30.
Is this more of the same?
Please tell me I’m wrong.
Good Morning Concerned Citizen. The meeting tomorrow evening is for the committee members so that we can determine the times and locations of the remaining meetings. I intend to suggest that of the four remaining meetings that three of them be held in various locations while the last one be held at GJAC in the auditorium.
Mack:
Are you saying this meeting is not open to the public?
I have one request of the public meetings, please make them later than 6:30. There is no way for some folks to make a 6:30 meeting during the week.
Just in case all meetings are at 6:30 I respectfully request that if we have government mandated trash that the payments not be added to our tax bills. Since homestead exemptions are on the chopping block those of us in escrow are really going to be nailed with extra payments to escrow. I have already checked with my mortgage company and the proposed fees from trash alone are going to raise my mortgage by $150 to $200 for about 2 years.
Thanks
Catherine~I will suggest that we have at least one meeting later than 6:30. Your comment about not adding the fees to your tax bill is noted however I don’t understand how your payment could go up that much. Please explain or have your mortgage company call me to explain.
Why doesnt the county adopt the same plan as Sandy Springs. Have the haulers add 5% to their bills pass it on to the residents. The hauler has certain insurance requirements and completes monthly reports for trash and recycling. Simple meets requiremtns and the city makes a little somethin somethin. and it presereves the free market.
WmNolte-
Are just why does the government “have to make something”?
This is not free market this is a system of “kickbacks” to the government to allow you to do business with them.
I would like to see the justification for this type of program.
Don
Good Morning All. Here is an update regarding the committee and some of what has been going on.
First off, both the Gwinnett Daily and the AJC reported that there was a meeting last night. They were correct however as I stated in #21 last nights meeting was to be for the committee to establish the future meeting dates. We also intended to hopefully better organize our self internally so that the meetings would go much smoother. So that every one understands, the information provided to the newspapers came from a PR firm that happens to be representing one of the haulers. Since citizens were in attendance we heard what they had to say before starting on our business.
Here is a question that was posed by one of the committee members to the audience last night:”In return for free choice (meaning that all current haulers would continue to serve the county residents), would citizens accept mandatory trash pick up in order to insure full participation and a maximum effort to clean up the county?” The response was a resounding yes from the audience. What do you think?
I don’t want anyone to think that the committee is trying to hide anything. We adopted a motion last night to make all of our meetings public. We are also attempting to have the minutes of our meeting published on the Gwinnett County web site. If after they are approved they don’t get on the county site I will publish them here. When they are on the county site you can get a link to them from here. I will be publishing a list of the committee members also.
One of the objectives of last nights meeting was to set the agenda for the remaining meetings. Unfortunately the complete schedule was not completed as we ran out of time. I can tell you that the next meeting will be 2-5-09 in the Snellville area. We are trying to get Snellville City Hall as the meeting place but it is not confirmed at this time. As soon as I know the exact location and time I will publish it here. February 12 will be the next meeting after the Snellville meeting with time and location TBD. Again as soon as I know I will publish them here.
I realize this is getting a bit long but I have one last comment to make in clearing the air. I feel as though some people are questioning my integrity and the integrity of the committee with some of the comments I am reading on other blogs. I have nothing to hide in this issue, as the old saying goes “I don’t have a dog in the hunt!” I volunteered to serve on this committee because I care about the county and I want to see things done right. If you have a question for me I will be happy to respond to it. Send me an email or give me a call.
As I stated earlier, I was going to publish a list of the committee members. Out of respect for them and since I don’t know if they all want their contact information published here I am just publishing the names. If you want their contact information please come to one of the public meetings and ask them personally.
Art Sheldon
Captain Tom Cordell
Carla Dowell
Chet Hale
Dan Bieller
Jeff Conway
Jimmy Orr
LC Johnson
Mack Perry
Michelle Patterson
Mike Royal – Chairman
Pat Malone
Rich Edinger – Secretary
Ron Baker
Terri Jondahl
Mack,
I would like to respond to your updated post by first saying that I appreciate all of the committee members who volunteered even those that were not chosen. Please remember that we (the People) were told of a 50 member committee that represented us and the list read like a Who’s Who of Gwinnett County. I certainly am not questioning anyone’s integrity since I do not know any of the people listed. If any of my responses led you to believe that I was responding to the blasting that I get whenever I posted questioning tactic on other boards. “You didn’t ask the right people” etc,.
I have never missed voting in any election and I do try to stay informed (not I spend several hours a day reading every web site I can find with information on it) I will not be fooled again.
When people questioned government it does not mean they are “negative” or “whining”.
To respond to the question of choice vs mandatory, given only those two choices I course I support freedom of choice. I would like to hear more information on why it should be mandatory. The previous reasons do not stand up. Of the 20,000 homes in Gwinnett without trash service we already know and perhaps you have accurate figures on the number of empty houses and we have already seen some people share service because they live on limited budgets.
I certainly realized that compromise is part of life but would like to hear some valid reasons as my basic feeling is against “Big Government” mandating anything.
My interest is to help Gwinnett go back to what it was when I choose it to raise my family 30 years ago.
Thank you again.
To answer your question I can see why the answer was a resounding YES. They get to choose their hauler and that is the crux of this whole issue because that is what was being taken away from us. To me it is somewhat of a loaded question. The problems the county(Mr. Beaudreau) currently has with the so called trash lining the highway is not because of the people that have trash pickup now or dispose of their trash in a legal way. Those are the people that were there last night. What do they or most of us care if you make it mandatory because we already have the service and would in the future. The question is what do you do about the people that do not have it now or would not have it then? Not every person that does not have trash service choose not to have it for bad reasons. How do you enforce it? How do you ensure it being mandatory? What about people that own their own business and can take their trash there instead of paying for it at their home? To me there are enough what-if’s in the question itself to make me want it re-worded and asked differently.
Mack,
Thank you and all committee members for serving on the committee and for your blog. I am so glad that I happened upon it. Thanks too for giving us a list of the committee members and the meeting update.
I agree with AM. I personally don’t have a problem with the mandatory garbage pickup but I don’t fall into one of the exceptions – currently share svc, own an empty house or dispose of it at my personal business.
I hope that the mandatory did not include recycling.
If we went that route would the county handle the billing? I really don’t see a need for that
I have no problem with the mandatory service or proof of other means of disposal.
I do not tink the county should bill for the service. We need to implement a system of check and balance like the auto insurance mehtod.
Haulers provide the client list to the county and it is cross referenced via computer to property records then all missing properties get a letter of noncompliance with two weeks to comply or be fined a large amount .
I also agree with the mention that the people upset by the plan already have garbage service so they would not be offended by this.
Don
Concerned Citizen~I remember the “50 Person Who’s Who of Gwinnett County”. I think you can tell by the members that we are not the “Who’s Who” hopefully we are the “Those Who Care”. As I stated earlier I don’t think any of us have a dog in the hunt. As far as you asking the right people you did ask me and I responded to you as truthfully as I could and I will continue to do so. If I don’t know the answer to a question I will tell you so and do my best to get you or anyone else the correct information. I hope to have information on the 20,000 home number very soon. I will publish the info when I get it.
AM (Gwinnett Views)~I think we must first get a good idea of what the citizens of the county want. At that point we can examine alternatives and we can then look at how to implement those concerns legally based on the information in the injunction.
AV~You are welcome. At this point I don’t know what recommendations the committee will have as far as billing or anything else. I would like for everyone to look at the RecycleBank site at http://www.recyclebank.com and let me know what you think.
@April~Your comment has not been approved due to your providing an invalid email address. Rather than just letting you guess why it’s not here that is the reason. If you want to call me to discuss 770-318-2572.
Thanks Mack,
I have questions anytime someone uses the word mandatory or giving proof of something when the government is involved. Once again it makes me feel as a law abiding citizen that I’m having to jump through hoops that need to be designed for those who do not follow the rules.
How do these people prove their circumstances
- 2 neighbors share 1 can between them?
- People who take their trash to their businesses?
- Is the renter or the owner of a rental house going to be the responsible party having to prove service?
One of the council’s biggest reasons for this whole “trash” change was the mandated changes from the state. Does the panel have the list? I still have not heard a word on how much recycling and waste reduction has to be made. I would think that is the starting place over mandating or proving service. I am pretty sure that list does not include the county being the collection service for trash fees. Or what haulers can/cannot work in the same nighborhoods. That the haulers need to “police” recycling and who has/does not have service.
Here is one other concern on why I have issues with the government having a hand in this at all. I think everyone has seen the articles on the conservation of water in the area. We as good citizens have listened to the cries of cutting back on water use. Water use had been dramatically reduced. Because of this, the county has lost revenue. They have had to figure out new ways of recouping that lost revenue. And they have raised prices due to the lost revenue. Whats to stop them from doing something similar if they have their hand in this other than making sure we are following state mandated rules and regulations.
Thanks again
Bryan
Mack
It goes up so much because they have to recoup what they paid and add the extra for next years payment, plus add on for the added buffer they require in escrow. Apparently Wells Fargo works off the top end of the federally allowed buffer.
If I paid the county directly the bank would still collect the money because it is on the tax bill. Yes I might eventually get my money back, but let’s be honest here I need my money more than the bank does. Also the mid year implementation made a difference, because after the first full year of tax billed service was when the $200 would have been reached. And while I would love to refinance and get out of escrow that will not be happening any time soon.
But I will be honest even if my mortgage would not change it is never ever a good idea to allow something like this on a tax bill. Out a sight, out of mind is excatly what the county is counting on to be honest. The fees can go up and few people would notice and complain and those of us that do notice and complain can be brushed off.
Bryan~The mandate from the state is that each municipality must provide the Georgia Department of Community Affairs an updated Solid Waste Disposal Plan every 10 years. A goal of a 25% reduction in solid waste going into the landfills, using 1992 as the base year, was the goal. In 2005 the general assembly removed the goal, however the mandate for an updated plan remains. The plan that was approved last year is held up by an injunction.
The purpose of this committee is to gather comments from the citizens of the county as to what they would like to see incorporated into the mandated plan update. Once we have gathered citizen input, as a committee we will make recommendations based on what the citizens want while attempting to comply with the judges ruling in the injunction.
After now attending 2 of these public meetings one thing becomes very clear based on the comments made by various citizens, There is no way that everyone will be happy with what ever recommendation we make.
As far as answers to your questions about landlords, sharing and taking trash to work I don’t know the answers but hopefully as a committee we can draw on the collective knowledge of the members and the community to arrive at an acceptable compromise.
At this point all I can tell you is keep checking in. As new information becomes available I will post it here.
why is every question proposed as do or die.The nextquestion will be would you rather have all used motor oil dumped into lake lanier,or have it recycled because of our county mandated trash plan.Its not do or die folks there are alternatives.IF we want to reduce trash and increase rcy,make the list of 35 rcy items mandatory for THE CURRENT TRASH HAULERS to pick up i am sure they would.AS far as 20,000 homes throwing there trash in the street we all know thats BS.I am told those big trash trucks only hold trash from about 400 homes,could you imagine 50 of these trucks dumping out that much trash on county roads not once but 52 weeks per year!It seems the real issue may be money,A need for revenue.I think the ELECTED officials need to find a more up front way of raiseing taxes than skiming off the top of our trash bill.ITS OBVIOUS to me when we pay $13 per month that the countys negotiated rate of $20.85 per month is not a service we need!!!!!!
Bryan is correct about the pricing. Prices will be up significantly in 18-24 months. (Should coincide nicely with the big jump in inflation we get with this new stimulus plan) The landfills that we use have fixed cost. When the tonnage they receive starts to shrink they will increase their rates to the haulers who in turn will increase our rates. I also think the more people find out about the recyclebank the more they will use it for their own benefit. That would mean less money for GCB and the county. And don’t forget when you reduce the amount of vehicles on the road you reduce the amount of fuel used which also will reduce tax revenue. Taxes on diesel fuel are huge. I still don’t see any problem with the current system. It seems to be the only fair option that I have seen. We definitely don’t live in a garbage dump. This is one of the cleanest places I have lived. Let’s keep our government small and taxes low.
My last thought on the issue is this. Why is my trash anyone’s business but mine? I would bet if we looked at the people proposing all this change we would find that they themselves don’t comply with their own recommendations. I say live and let live and mind your own business.
april~Your analogy to dumping motor oil into Lake Lanier or have it recycled is one of the type comments that makes some of the committee members leary of blogs and comments made on them. I would ask you to review comment #37, The state mandates that the county has a Solid Waste Disposal Plan.
No one has stated that 20,000 homes are throwing their trash in the streets. It has been estimated that there are 20,000 homes without trash service. The question is, where is that trash going? I also question this number and am gathering data which I will publish as soon as it is completed.
I understand your frustration and join with you on some of your items. I would just ask that we keep the comments here constructive. That doesn’t mean that we can’t disagree, just that we need to do it in a constructive manner.
April:
I want to point something out about the the charges that you may no fully understand.
First the $20.45 was only going to be for the first six months then the rate reduced to $17.86 hence force. The rate Gwinnett was going to pay was not $13 for all zones. I believe Advance was at $13.60 in the north zone and Wastepro was about $16.50 per month or there about for the south zone. So they averaged the two prices together for all residents.
April, I fail to see the ogic of your oil analogy and the lake.
I would also like to see this blog remain positive and constructive in nature.
I apoligize for the confusion of my anology about oil the point I was putting forth is that some of these questions appear to be one sided,and again I apoligize if my interpratation is confused.The questions being would you rather pay more to have freedom of choice and choose your own hauler.How about simply would you like to choose your own hauler.DS thank you for the priceing clarifacation,but what I was saying is that our subdivsion only pays $13 per mo.and i cant seem to justify paying $8 more per month to the county for this program.again put forth the list of 35 rcy items and reduce the landfill waste.
Just wondering if any thought has been given to recycling in the schools,hospitals,sports events–etc?
Janice~Welcome to the conversation. Actually one of the citizens that commented last Thursday evening stated that the county should lead by example as far as recycling goes. She was standing next to a trash can in the conference room and informed everyone that it contained empty soda cans, water bottles and paper.
Janice: good points.
I wonder who produces more solid waste in the county? Would it be the schools, other government or the homeowners that have homes ( not apartments or condos with compactors)? Now this would be a good study to see where we need to begin to reduce our solid waste going in to landfills.
Why not make it mandatory for government to recycle, afterall do great leaders not lead by example?
On a side note I was at an event this weekend that had trash cans next to a recycle bin that was a clear plastic trash bag in a frame with a hard plastic top that said recyles and most people sorted out the trash and filled the recyle with those items. It only proved to me that people will recycle if given the opprtunity.
I am wondering what the background of the fifteen (15) committee members are. By this I mean has any of the members ever been appointed to a government adisory board prior of currently sits on one, conducts business with the county, personal relationships with any elcted officials?
How can we be assured that these people all called in an volunteered their time to help solve the concerns for the “normal” citizens rather than being called upon by Mike Beaudreau?
DS: Are you saying that those in apartments or condos with compactors would not be subject to mandatory recycling? If so, then I, as a homeowner should be treated the same. I would be fine with recycling as long as it is not mandatory, as my main objections to mandatory recycling are space issues, using a compactor, and the science on the other side of recycling that indicates that it does more harm than good.
Who is serving on this “Blue Ribbon Committee”?; How did they get picked, volunteered etc.?; What are their qualifications? (i.e. any direct knowledge of sanitation industry within Gwinnett Co.?, operation & logistics of…. etc.)
John~The members of the committee are listed on comment #28.