As of 08/18/2006

Property Maintenance

There is an epidemic taking place in South DeKalb County that warrants the attention and participation of every resident to help combat. That epidemic is LITTER! Motorists driving through the area are using the streets, exit ramps and sidewalks as dumping grounds for trash. businesses are using utility poles, rights-of-way and vacant, boarded up buildings as places to post signs and posters. Residents of the area are also not using trash receptacles to dispose of trash...expecially when it is so easy to just drop that empty fast food container, wrapper or cup on the ground.

The job of Keeping DeKalb Beautiful is a shared responsibility between the county and residents of the area. Crews, when available, are dispatched to pick up litter and remove signs; unfortunately, as soon as the litter is removed and signs are taken down, almost like magic the area is again littered and the poles and rights-of-way adorned with illegal signs.

I urge each and every resident to "adopt" a segment of your street or major corridor and take the time to help pick up litter that you see along the roadways and to remove signs that are POSTED ILLEGALLY on utility poles and in the right-of-way. Until and unless we jointly work together to combat this epidemic of people using our streets as a dumping ground for trash and debris we will continually have an accumulation of trash and debris and a continual eyesore and a major decline in the quality of life in the area.

The message that is received when communities are not pitching in to help keep the community clean is that 'no one cares, so criminals you are welcome.' We do not wish to send that message, we wish to send the message of 'caring community here, take your criminal activity elsewhere.' Studies show that there is a correlation between the incidence of criminal activity and condition of the neighborhood. The correlation roughly translates to; more litter...more crime.

We need your active participation in helping to Keep DeKalb Beautiful. This is your county, your neighborhood, your community...help put litter in its place.

Commissioner Larry L. Johnson
Phone: 404 371-2425
Fax: 404 687 3595
Email: larryjohnson@co.dekalb.ga.us As of 03/28/2005

we're keeping an eye out for you

DeKalb enforces limit on size of garbage cans

Instead of returning home to find their garbage cans emptied, some DeKalb residents have found their cans still overflowing - with bright orange "warning" tickets tied to the bags.

DeKalb County garbage collectors no longer will accept containers larger than 32 gallons. The size limit is an old provision in the sanitation code that county officials say they must now enforce because the piles of trash have gotten too big and heavy to haul.

"These things lead to back injuries, then we've got to pay workers' compensation claims," said DeKalb County Executive Assistant Richard Stogner.

To grant their workers some mercy, the county said notices of the tighter enforcement were mailed to homeowners last fall. But many homeowners were caught unawares as they watched garbage trucks roll past their bundles without stopping.

"We try to use discretion," Stogner said, adding that workers should not hesitate to pick up a can that may be slightly larger than 32 gallons.

But fear not, homeowners. County officials acknowledge a gaping loophole in the code: Fill as many smaller cans as you like, and the county is happy to empty them.

- Corey Dade Published on: 04/08/05 Atlanta Journal Constitution