Peachtree

City was one of four Georgia cities ranked at the

top of Georgia municipalities for its efforts to

reduce solid waste entering landfills.

All

cities in the state were judged on how they

divert solid waste from landfills through efforts

such as recycling programs. Over 15,000 trips

have been made to the city's recycling center so

far this year, said City Engineer Troy Besseche.

Last

year, there were close to 23,000 trips to the

recycling center reported, Besseche added.

"In

a city of 33,000 people, that's a very high

participation level," Besseche noted.

"I think that says something about our

community."

Besseche

said the county-wide recycling efforts are

keeping approximately 10 percent of solid waste

from entering the landfill. Because several

different waste hauling agencies operate in

Peachtree City, there's no way to get city

statistics, though Besseche believes the city is

doing "a little better than the county, but

not much."

The

recycling center, located on Rockaway Road just

off Ga. Highway 74 South, is open Wednesdays from

1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 8:30

a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Among the items accepted there

are newspapers, magazines, aluminum beverage

cans, corrugated cardboard, grass clippings,

dried leaves and tree trunks from 3 to 12 inches

in diameter with a four-foot maximum length.

staff member from the city's public works

department is on hand during operation hours to

help residents coming to recycle their waste.

"It's

a program that has been very successful for

us," Besseche said, noting that the

recycling efforts do have a cost to the city.

"We don't make any money off of it, but it

does fulfill our obligation to the

community."

Peachtree

City scored 13 of 15 points on the solid waste

survey conducted by the Georgia Department of

Community Affairs. That score means the city is

"making extra efforts to manage solid waste

wisely," according to DCA.

That

doesn't mean that Peachtree City is about to rest

on its laurels, though, Besseche said. In fact,

the city is trying to find a larger location for

its recycling site since the mulching operation

takes up so much space at the Rockaway site.

larger site would allow the city to accept more

types of recyclable materials, Besseche said,

adding that the city is looking at acquiring

about 10 acres for the new site.

Georgia law regarding solid waste requires

communities to reduce the amount of solid waste

entering the landfills by 25 percent, while

Fayette County is currently at 10 percent and

expects to get better, Besseche said.

The

recycling efforts are promoted by Keep Fayette

Beautiful, Besseche said. The group also goes to

schools and other groups in the community to

educate locals about recycling, he added.

Communities

scoring between three and five points on the

survey are considered to be making minimal

efforts to manage solid waste. A score between

six and eight points garners an adequate rating.

To

see how other communities fared, go to DCA's web

site at www.dca.state.ga.us

and click on community indicators and then

individual community profiles.