Updates and Frequently Asked Questions

UPDATE JUNE 1, 2020

Once again, thank you to everyone who is helping to make this transition time go smoothly! We are grateful for your patience and understanding!

Beginning June 15, we will start Phase 2 of our re-opening procedures: Appointments will be available Monday through Saturday 10AM – Noon, for anyone who wants to be assured of an opportunity to recycle at a specific time. Hours outside of 10AM – Noon will be on a first come, first served basis, no appointment necessary, but we will allow only six vehicles in the parking lot at a time. If there are more than six vehicles when you arrive, you might be asked to wait or to return at a later time.

We are doing our best to keep everything fair and safe for everyone, so if this system works, we will keep it going. If not, we will regroup and try something different. The goal is always to keep our customers and staff safe, while assuring an even work flow at a time when we have very little help in the way of volunteers or our usual court ordered community service workers.

Thank you for your cooperation, and thank you for recycling! 

Kathy Reed

Executive Director

*****

UPDATE MAY 22, 2020

A HUGE "thank you!" to all of our wonderful recyclers for helping to make this new process go smoothly!

Many have asked how long our appointment system will remain in place. Right now, it is still important because so many people have been storing their recyclables for six weeks or more, and we need to make sure everyone has a chance to unload all of that collected material—but not everyone at once! We simply do not have the parking lot space or staff to handle six weeks worth of materials coming in at the same time! 

We are going to monitor the intake of materials, and as soon as it looks like everyone is caught up and we won’t get overwhelmed, we will relax the system and open for business without appointments. We will provide an update on that decision by June 1st, so check back then!

In the meantime, please know that we are deeply grateful for your understanding and patience.

Kathy Reed

Executive Director

*****

UPDATE APRIL 30, 2020

A Message from our Executive Director:

First of all, I want to thank you for your support, your patience, and your words of encouragement during this complex time, when all of us are experiencing frustration, concern, loss and inconvenience.  We are grateful for our customers--because you want to help make the world a better place by recycling, cleaning roads and rivers, and helping to make our community a cleaner, more beautiful place to live, work and play. You are inspiring and amazing, and we look forward to a time when we can welcome you back to our center! 

We appreciate your patience as we work out the details of re-opening our recycling center. We want to err on the side of caution, and we plan to open in phases. Our goal is to meet your needs while protecting our workers and volunteers, as well as protecting the community and our customers.

Here are the details for Phase One, which begins Wednesday, May 20:

• Visits to the recycling center will be by an online appointment system only. This will help  manage the number of customers at a given time. The link for the appointment system will be on our website soon.
• Workers and customers will be required to wear a face mask, and to keep at least 6’ away from others.
• Initially, we will not accept items that require payment, such as document shredding, TV’s/monitors, fluorescent bulbs. Complete list here. This will give us a chance to get caught up with the influx of built up materials, and to streamline the process of taking in those materials.
• Customers will need to sort their own materials. We are working with minimal staff, and do not have the resources to sort everyone’s materials. Also, because germs can live on surfaces of materials for a period of time, having residents sort their own materials reduces the exposure to our staff and volunteers. The good news is that we have put into place new bins and signage that will make this process easier.  

Please keep in mind that our new plans might seem inconvenient, but we have put a lot of thought and planning into developing our new protocols, and we hope you will be impressed with the efforts we are making to keep our workers, volunteers, and our customers and community safe. We appreciate your understanding, and we are grateful for your understanding and support during this time of transition.

How will all of this work?  Well, I guess we will find out!  As we test our new policies and procedures, and learn best practices from others, no doubt we will need to adjust and modify as we learn and gain valuable input. We will have a survey available for your feedback after you visit, so that we can continually improve our processes.  

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Best regards,

Kathy Reed

Executive Director

Keep North Fulton Beautiful

FAQ's (March and April 2020)                                                                                  

• Are you open?
  • For the health and safety of our workers and our community, the Sandy Springs Recycling Center is temporarily closed to the public.

• When will you re-open?
  • We are working on a plan to reopen. We will announce our plans by the end of April.

• How will you make your announcement?
  • Please sign up for our mailing list, watch our website, or follow us on Facebook.

• Why are you still closed?
  • We are carefully considering strategies to protect ourselves, our volunteers, and our customers, with health and safety as a priority.

• What procedures will you have in place for health and safety?
  • We do not have every detail worked out at this time, but some of the new procedures will include:
    • Requirement that workers and customers wear a face mask
    • Customers will need to sort their own materials
    • Customers will be asked to keep at least 6’ away from others
    • Initially, visits to the recycling center will be by an online appointment system.

• What do I do with my recyclables now?
  • We know it is inconvenient, but please hold onto your recyclable materials and donated items until we resume operations.

• Can I park at the golf course and walk my materials over to the center?
  • If you are unable to continue storing your materials, you can park in the golf course parking lot next door and walk them over. We are NOT able to sort your materials, so please sort your own, and place the items in the appropriate containers. We are also not accepting items that require payment, or doing any document shredding at this time. Please maintain 6' of distance from other customers, and we also ask that you wear a face mask to protect others.

• If we can walk over from the golf course, why are your gates closed?
  • Our gates are closed because we are currently closed to the public. We offer the golf course option as a convenience and a courtesy.

• Why do I have to sort my own materials?
  • We are working with minimal staff, and do not have the resources to sort everyone’s materials, and also because germs can live on surfaces of materials for a period of time.  Having residents sort their own materials reduces the exposure to our staff and volunteers.
  • We have put new systems in place that will help make it easier to sort your own materials.

• What happens if I leave my unsorted materials at the center?
  • Any unsorted materials will be thrown away and sent to a landfill.
  • WHY???!???  See the message from our Executive Director below.

• Can I drop my items off outside the gate?
  • Please do not do this.  Ever.

Thank you for your patience and understanding!  We are all in this together!

A Message from the Executive Director:

We are responding to the global pandemic with processes that protect our staff, volunteers and visitors. When we do reopen to the public, we will have new procedures in place that are designed to curb the spread of the virus.  For example, we will require face masks and distancing, and at least initially, we will manage the flow of visitors through an online appointment system. We will also ask customers to sort their own materials so that our workers do not have to touch the used items from thousands of households. Any materials left unsorted will, unfortunately, be landfilled and not recycled.

I am proud that during the 12 years that I have been the Executive Director with KNFB, I have been unwaveringly devoted to ensuring that all of the materials recycled through our organization are handled with the highest integrity and transparency throughout the supply chain, and that we can be a trusted source for making sure all items are recycled responsibly. The fact that thousands of people bring their recycling to us, when they have other options, speaks volumes about the level of trust that we have built in our community.

I realize that throwing recyclable items in the trash, destined for landfill, is absolutely counter to our mission, and to what our community expects of us. However, in light of evidence that the virus that causes Covid-19 can remain on surfaces for a period of time, and sorting items requires touching each and every item, I cannot in good conscience ask my staff, volunteers, or community service workers to handle items from thousands of households, including beverage containers that have touched mouths. I have instructed my staff to pick up bags of unsorted materials with a long-handled grabber, and place those bags in the trash.

We are a small, independent non-profit organization with a total of four employees.  Only two (2) of those staff members manage the recycling center; our other employees manage our other programs besides the recycling center.  When we reopen, those two employees will be very busy instructing people on how to sort their materials, and educating our customers on the new systems we have in place to make that process easier.

Under the best of circumstances, we do not have the staff to sort the materials from thousands of households. Centers who do this have millions of dollars worth of robotic equipment that sorts materials with machinery. They also have 10 or 20 times the number of staff members that we do. In the past, we have used volunteers and court-ordered community service workers to help sort materials when customers have been unwilling to do so themselves.  However, the global pandemic has put an additional strain on our resources, and we simply do not have the equipment or people to sort materials, and again--I will not ask them to touch materials from thousands of households.

Thank you for your patience, understanding, and your help.  We are all adapting to evolving new practices in our community, and we appreciate your cooperation and assistance.

Best regards,

Kathy Reed

Executive Director