New trash plan offers more recycling

On July 1, Gwinnett County implemented a new residential garbage and recycling program for unincorporated areas of the county. City residents are not affected by this new plan. Gwinnett County contracted with five private haulers to each serve a designated area, offering consistent solid waste service to all residents.

What are the benefits of the new plan?

• Efficient and cost-effective solid waste service
  


• Cleaner neighborhoods: less illegal dumping and reduced truck traffic and wear and tear on our streets
  


• Environmental sustainability: greatly increased recycling opportunities and reduced air and noise pollution
  


• Additionally, the State of Georgia requires all its counties to update solid waste disposal plans every 10 years and to work toward reducing the solid waste deposited in landfills; this plan will accomplish that goal.
  

What does the new base service include?

• 
  
  Weekly trash pickup of the following items is included in the base service
  
  
  
  
  
  • Household waste
    
  
  
  • Bulky items – old furniture, mattresses, etc. (contact your hauler to schedule pickup)
    
  
  
  • White goods – stoves, refrigerators, etc. (contact your hauler to schedule pickup)
    
  
  
  • 35 different kinds of recyclable items
    

What about yard waste?

• Yard waste collection is elective
  


• Subscribe directly through your hauler
  


• $60 for six months of service (January – June, July – December)
  

How much will the new base service cost?

• $17.86 per month for base service (no additional fees unless you contact your hauler to arrange for yard waste pickup or other additional services)
  


• Base rate is guaranteed for 18 months, through 2011
  


• Charges for the remainder of 2010 and all of 2011 will be billed with the property tax statement mailed this summer and due in the fall (total of $321.48)
  

Questions about the new garbage and recycling program?

• Contact the Gwinnett County Solid Waste and Recycling Division Call Center at 770.822.7141 weekdays between 7:30am and 5:30pm
  

Questions about your pickup service?

• Contact your assigned hauler
  

Gwinnett Nonprofit Agency to Host Foreclosure Prevention Forum

Lawrenceville, GA – The Gwinnett-based IMPACT! Group will host a day-long community foreclosure prevention forum on June 7^th at the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center. The event will be open to the public and include speakers from the housing counseling, legal, and financial fields. There will also be a special continuing education seminar for realtors.

"This forum will be one of the largest public foreclosure events held in Gwinnett County to date," according to Tom Merkel, President of The IMPACT! Group. "We're expecting homeowners from throughout Gwinnett and the metro Atlanta area to attend, and we hope that by the end of the day attendees who are behind on their mortgages will understand their options and be able to begin taking the first steps in regaining stability."

The forum will begin at 8:30 am on June 7^th with a three-hour continuing education credit seminar for realtors. Offered through instructors at O'Kelley and Sorohan, LLC, the seminar will focus on short-sales and foreclosures, with a special section on how to help clients avoid foreclosure prevention scams. Realtors who complete the session will receive three CE credits towards their re-certification.

Then, starting at 1 pm, the forum will host a presentation and discussion session for general homeowners. IMPACT! housing counselors and representatives of the lending and legal fields will discuss homeowners' options and there will be time for questions and answers as well as the chance for attendees to meet individually with IMPACT! housing counseling staff.

There will be limited space for both the morning and afternoon sessions, so interested homeowners and realtors are asked to register in advance at www.theimpactgroup.org.

This Foreclosure Prevention Forum is part of The IMPACT! Group's annual celebration of national NeighborWorks® Week from June 5 through 12, 2010. NeighborWorks America® is a congressionally-created housing and community-based agency that supports housing agencies nationwide. This year, the theme of NeighborWorks® Week is ending foreclosure prevention scams, which can cheat homeowners out of thousands of dollars. Because Georgia has consistently ranked among the top ten states in number of foreclosed homes, Georgians have been especially susceptible to foreclosure prevention scams. In 2009 alone, The IMPACT! Group provided housing counseling and education services to over 4,800 households and expects to increase that number in 2010.