MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — A Baldwin County resident is calling for awareness of an issue that affects both its residents and their environment.

Since coming to Georgia College as a freshman roughly four years ago, Georgia College student Megan Goetz has made it her goal to promote environmental conservation at GC and throughout Baldwin County. In promoting environmentalism to residents of the Milledgeville community, over time the former GC Environmental Club president spoke to more and more people who were unclear about the county’s policy on recycled materials. Now, in an effort to shed light on local procedures and spread awareness of the benefits of recycling, Goetz is attempting to inform local residents on how to reduce their environmental footprint.

“Ever since I came to Georgia College, within the first year would hear lots of faculty and staff talk about whether the recycling was even being recycled,” said Goetz. “We knew that the recycling from the [countywide] centers is ultimately going to [local recycling processing center] Attaway Recycling, but we noticed a disconnect in that glass isn’t recycled at Georgia College — people are putting them in recycling centers that are ultimately going to the same place. 

Upon learning that Georgia College does not accept glass as a recyclable, Goetz began looking deeper into the process of recycling in Baldwin County. While Advanced Disposal, the county’s designated curbside sanitation agent, carries recycling from the college to Attaway in much the same way it carries recycling from around the county, the environmentalist found that the discrepancy had made some students and faculty skeptical. Although she was able to confirm through a friend in the university’s Office of Sustainability that Advance and Attaway do in fact process the university’s recycling, Goetz was surprised by the number of people, both students and local residents, that did not know the county’s policy on recycling. 

“There’s a lot of ambiguity and confusion in the community,” said Goetz. “A lot of people think that stuff is not being recycled in general, and it’s clear to me that people aren’t entirely certain on what is supposed to be recycled. I think it’s time for that to be clarified so that we can make more progress and just get more people to recycle in general.”

For the past several weeks, Goetz has been collecting signatures for a petition titled “Milledgeville, Georgia Town Hall: Recycling.” 

Among other things, the petition calls for a town hall meeting between community members and local officials to clarify what can be recycled, where, and Goetz hopes to spread a larger awareness of the harm un-recycled materials can do to Baldwin’s natural surroundings. 

“The petition proposes a town hall meeting, and the goal is to have some kind of gathering where citizens of Milledgeville can confirm what they need to recycle,” she said. “The city and county should also take a stance on encouraging people to recycle in a more active way, which they would be doing by hosting the town hall. … I know we had a town hall about the coal ash [left behind by Georgia Power’s former Plant Branch on Lake Sinclair] last summer, and ever since then it’s seemed like more of a viable option.”

Although her inquiry into recycling in Baldwin County began with a question specifically about Georgia College, over the years Goetz has dedicated herself to promoting the practice throughout the community. Aside from people simply not knowing what items can and can’t be recycled, Goetz said one of the biggest issues she comes across is people sending off for curbside recycling bins from Advanced Disposal and never receiving them. She also called for increased participation from downtown bars who sell hundreds of cans and bottles a night, as well as improved signage at the county’s six bulk recycling centers regarding acceptable items and operating hours. 

Although the practice of recycling is not a new one for Baldwin County residents, Goetz hopes increased outreach to local residents unclear on the rules will help promote the practice around the county. In her efforts to educate the community and prevent harm to Baldwin’s natural ecosystems, Goetz said she plans to see the effort through to the end.

“A lot of college students leave Milledgeville as soon as they graduate, but I decided a while ago that I’m not going to leave until there’s recycling on the streets. Not just curbside recycling or at the recycling centers, but visibly on public sidewalks,” she said. 

To support Goetz’s petition for an informational town hall on recycling in Baldwin County, visit www.change.org and enter “Milledgeville Town Hall” in the search bar on the top right corner. For more information on the county’s recycling centers and the types of items, they can accept, visit http://www.baldwincountyga.com/dept-directory/solid-waste/ or call 478-445-4791.