Big gaps in who recycles in Atlanta
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Up to half of Atlanta homes — especially multifamily units — may be sending recyclables to landfills, per a new city audit.
Why it matters: Poor data, lack of enforcement and unclear goals weaken Atlanta's recycling program and threaten sustainability efforts, auditors found.
Catch up quick: Atlanta provides weekly curbside recycling to single-family residences and roughly 10%-15% of multi-family complexes. A private contractor, Pratt Recycling, processes the city's recyclables.
- The program also accepts glass — relatively rare among metro Atlanta cities — and mixed materials.
Flashback: A 2019 education effort sparked a four-point jump in the city's participation and a 30% drop in contaminated bins.
- Progress has stalled, the audit said, and participation varies by neighborhood. Buckhead has the highest rate (25%) and southwest Atlanta has the lowest (15%).
What they're saying: Auditors said the city has lacked a clear waste diversion goal since 2019 and pointed to poor data accuracy in the Atlanta Public Works Department's tracking program.
- The department has also failed to enforce a 2007 ordinance requiring multifamily properties with six or more units to provide recycling options and report data to the city annually.
- Those units make up roughly half of Atlanta's dwellings, the report says, and are increasing in number as Midtown, Downtown and other dense neighborhoods grow.
Reality check: The cost of recycling glass — 40% of which gets accepted in single-stream recycling programs like Atlanta's, the audit says — is more expensive than other materials.
- Auditors recommended DPW analyze the feasibility of collecting glass separately from other materials to help reduce contamination.
By the numbers: Atlanta recycled 23% of residential waste — slightly below the EPA benchmark of 26% — from September 2024 to January 2025, the time reviewed by auditors.
Zoom out: Metro Atlanta cities and counties' waste diversion strategies include establishing community collection centers or making recycling easier than throwing out trash.
- Decatur residents must buy special bags at local stores for trash collection under a "pay as you throw" program. In Sandy Springs, households select their own trash and recycling haulers.
The other side: DPW officials agreed with the city's recommendations, including the development of a "realistic" diversion goal, possibly later this year.
- They are developing an enforcement plan for the city's multifamily ordinance but suggested the policy likely needed likely additional staffing to function.