Content

Keep Smyrna Beautiful 
Program Director, Janet Liberman
Recycling Center Manager, Kathy Chapman

1.) Tell us about the Keep Smyrna Beautiful program and your mission.

Keep Smyrna Beautiful, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and improving the environment and quality of life in Smyrna, Georgia. An affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, the program works in partnership with the City of Smyrna to educate on environmental issues and lead participation in community sustainability efforts. Program highlights include a new recycling center, a community garden, farmers market, litter clean-up events and school partnerships. The recycling center recently relocated to a larger footprint, allowing for an expansion in the amount and types of materials to be recycled. As a result, there’s been a diversion increase by 30% after relocating. In addition to rechargeable batteries, the facility accepts mixed paper, cardboard, consumer plastics, electronics, glass, cooking oil, motor oil, fluorescent lights, clothing, books, shoes, toner cartridges and holiday lights among other things. Keep Smyrna Beautiful was an early partner with Call2Recycle, joining in 2000. Since then, the program has helped to divert more than 8,500 pounds of rechargeable batteries out of local landfills.

2.) Any unique aspects about your recycling program?

A unique aspect of Keep Smyrna Beautiful is its partnership with the City of Smyrna’s bio-diesel program. Keep Smyrna Beautiful collects used cooking oil from local food trucks, businesses and residents, which is converted into fuel for some city vehicles. Another interesting part of the program is the collection and recycling of glass. While many municipal recycling programs have stopped accepting this commodity, Keep Smyrna Beautiful offers glass recycling due to community interest and request.

3.) Tell us about your partnership with Call2Recycle and its impact on your program. 

Safe and responsible recycling is central to the mission of Keep Smyrna Beautiful. This is exactly why Call2Recycle is a good partner due to their track record of safe battery handling, management, transport and diversion. Working with Call2Recycle provides an added value to residents and complements the types of materials accepted at the recycling facility. With Call2Recycle, Smyrna residents can better protect their community and preserve the planet.