Austell Approves New Commercial Recycling Center

While Mableton residents are fighting to keep out a waste transfer station, City of Austell residents will soon have a new recycling center at 5010 Flint Hill Road.

City council members and one resident expressed their concerns about the commercial recycling center during a public hearing held before the council’s vote, a unanimous approval.

East Meets West, Inc. outgrew its facility at 5762 Sydney Inn Court and applied for the special land use permit to begin operation at its new location, after purchasing the facility in November.

At its Sydney Inn Court facility, the company had 16,000 square feet, two machines and 400 amps of power to operate it.

At the new Flint Hill Road location, the company will have 62,000 square feet, three grinders, three balers, more employees and more amps to power the facility.

The company recycles commercial products, grinds them and then sends them to clients. The facility will not accept items from individuals.

“We’re not dealing with trash or cans or other sort of messy things that would disrupt the area. They’re all kinds of clean, commercial products, and that’s all that’s being recycled in the area,” said Attorney Matthew Hines represented the recycling facility.

One of the major concerns was the appearance of the facility.

City Councilwoman Trudie Causey said she took photos of the company’s former location on Jan. 24.

“I would not like to see that in our city,” she said. “This would be truly an eyesore to the residents and property values would just truly go down.”

Hines assured Causey, Mack and city officials that the facility would be well maintained and its appearance would not detract from the surrounding neighborhoods. It is 75 feet from two subdivisions.

Austell resident Deborah Mack, who lives with her husband on Flint Hill Road, was also concerned about the facility’s appearance, safety and noise.

“We’re still recovering from the flood. There are houses that are still vacant, overrun by weeds. C&C Market is on the corner and is a constant target for robbery. I’m concerned that a recycling plant will further devalue our quality of life, our safety and our homes,” Mack said during the public hearing.

She pointed out that she has seen more than one wrecked car on the property in the last few weeks.

The owners said the car is on the property because he had an accident a few weeks earlier and had not yet been able to move it, but promised to do so before the facility began operation.

The City of Austell included in its stipulations that all recycling material must be kept within the primary structure, which Hines assured it would be.

Other city stipulations include storing all pallets in an enclosed fence, maintaining only one refuse container outside the main facility and having no more than 10 tractor-trailers parked on the property at any one time.

To ensure there is no storm water contamination, the company will use gravel in the back of the facility and silk fencing.

As for the concerns about noise, the owners said they never received a noise complaint during the two years of operating at their last location, adjacent to two neighborhoods.

 “We will abide by the requests that they have made…I think this facility is an asset to the city. I think it’s a win-win for everybody. It’s going to bring jobs. It’s going to bring revenue,” Hines said.

The center will operate from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday through Friday, and occasionally until 7 p.m., the owners said.

Mack said her concerns were allayed by the discussion and felt confident that the company owners and the city would ensure that the facility was maintained well.

 “I would much rather see somebody in the facility that takes care of it and has a positive attitude than to see it go vacant for years…Take pride in it. It always helps your business when your business looks better. Glad to see somebody in it,” said City Councilman Martin Standard.

The company must abide by the stipulations put forth by the city and also by Mack in order to continue operation. Otherwise, the city would shut down the facility, Mayor Joe Jerkins said.

“We’re going to hold you to your word,” Jerkins told the owners.