THE SAVANNAH CITY Council approved the purchase of 48,000 curbside recycling carts at its Oct. 7 meeting. The carts will be used for the city-wide recycling program scheduled to begin in January.
The carts were purchased from Otto Industries at a cost of $2,685,103. Five proposals were received last July, and Otto was the low bidder.
The council had previously approved a 10-year contract with Pratt Industries to process recyclables that are gathered through the program. City Manager Michael Brown told the council that city staffers recently met with Pratt and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs to discuss public education about the program.
A campaign kick-off will be held before the program begins. A national marketing firm, Hill & Knowlton, Inc., has been hired by DCA to develop educational materials that will be used by cities participating in the state’s grant program for recycling.
Residents will get education materials when their cart is delivered, community meetings will be held, and local media, billboard ads and brochures will be used to spread information. Each cart will have an information label on it that will briefly explain how the carts are to be used.
Employees to operate the program are being recruited. Delivery of equipment, including collection trucks, is expected no later than early December.
Once the program begins, the city will be divided into four collection zones. Recyclables will be collected twice a month on the same day garbage is collected.
Once the items are gathered, Pratt Industries will process them and sell them for $15 per ton. Residents will be charged a $1 per month fee to participate in the curbside recycling program.
In other action, the council voted 6-3 to again deny a request for eat-in dining at the Russo Seafood restaurant on East 40th Street. The restaurant will be limited to take-out.
The Metropolitan Planning Commission had recommended approving the rezoning request, but City Manager Michael Brown recommended denying the request, saying an eat-in restaurant isn’t compatible with the residential character of the area.
The council had originally approved a zoning request to allow a take-out restaurant at the location, but owners opened a dine-in restaurant, which the city closed. Brown said the dine-in operation was more intensive than that originally requested by Russo. cs
