By: Leigh Patterson
Old Town Cemetery
Christmastime is here and the Athens-Limestone Beautification Board has once again done an outstanding job beautifying the Old Town Cemetery and dressing it up for the holidays. Our volunteer board spent time back in November at one of the oldest cemeteries in town making sure that it was decorated in time for the Christmas Open House.
New wreaths were purchased this year and were decorated by Barbara Newman, a very dedicated board member. Other board members helped with placing the wreaths along the fence line and on some of the monuments. If you haven’t noticed the decorations yet, I would encourage you to drive by if you have the opportunity. The Old Town Cemetery is located on Washington Street between East Street and Beaty Street.
This is just one of the many working projects performed by the Beautification Board. If you are interested in finding out more information about the work that they do around town, please reach out to the KALB office by phone or email.
Recycling During The Holidays
During this time of year, most of us are bombarded with more paper, cardboard, and other recyclables than usual. Trying to figure out what to do with all the extra “garbage” can be a challenge. This is a great time to recycle many of these items, including some that you may not have realized are recyclable! To help with this, here is a list of common holiday items that the Athens-Limestone Recycling Center accepts at our facility on Lucas Ferry Road. (PLEASE NOTE: Some of these items CANNOT be placed into your BLUE RECYCLING CARTS as city curbside recycling goes to a different recycling center. Please visit AthensAlabama.US for information about curbside recycling.)
- Cardboard boxes – Please remove all Styrofoam, or other materials before taking them to the center, and remember to break down boxes before placing them in the bins at the center.
- Wrapping paper, gift boxes, and paper gift bags – Please remove all bows before recycling. Bows are not recyclable unless made of paper. If it doesn’t tear, it’s not recyclable. Be sure to place these items in the CARDBOARD bin.
- Tissue paper
- Greeting cards and paper gift tags
- Electronics –Bring your old electronics that have been replaced (string lights included!) to be recycled to keep them out of the landfill. The center will accept most electronics with a cord or battery for recycling. There is a $10 charge for televisions, and all other electronics are accepted for free. Children’s riding toys are NOT recyclable at our center; however, the batteries are.
- Plastic bags (grocery and retail) and film – Please make sure that bags and film are clean and dry before bringing them to the Recycling Center.
- FOG (fats, oils and grease) recycling – Holiday cooking means more fats, oils, and grease to dispose of in your kitchen. To recycle these, just pick up a free FOG container from one of the cages located at the Athens-Limestone Recycling Center, at the KALB office, or at the Athens Utilities Building. Fill your container with fats, oils, and grease from your kitchen. Return the full container to the bottom shelf of any of the FOG cages and take an empty one. Let’s keep those FOGs out of our drains and sewers!
For a list of all other items that ALRC is currently accepting, please visit www.KALBCares.com. Under the Recycling tab click “Athens-Limestone Recycling Center Services and Information.”
PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING HOLIDAY HOURS FOR THE ATHENS-LIMESTONE RECYCLING CENTER. No bins will be in place at the center while closed. Community Collection Centers located at different Limestone County Schools (locations are listed at KALBcares.com) will be in place. NO DUMPING PLEASE.
- Thursday, December 23 – see KALBcares.com for hours
- Friday, December 24 through Sunday, December 26 – CLOSED
- Monday, December 27 through Thursday December 30 – 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Friday, December 31 through Sunday, January 2 – CLOSED
The KALB office will be closed from Friday, December 24 through Sunday, January 2. We look forward to getting back to work in January, as we have many things already planned for 2022, and there is much work to be done, so stay tuned!
I, along with the KALB Commission, Athens-Limestone Beautification Board, Athens-Limestone Recycling Board, and the Athens-Limestone Recycling Center Staff would like to wish you a Happy Holiday Season, a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!
By: Leigh Patterson
Executive Coordinator – Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful
April 19, 2024
