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Saturday, December 27, 2008

County Extends Agreement with Trash Haulers

In response to the injunction against the County’s new solid waste plan that would have taken effect the first of the year, Gwinnett officials have today agreed to extend service agreements with current trash service providers to ensure that citizens will continue to receive garbage service.

“The County’s first order of business is to make sure that a group of approved private waste haulers is in place and working in January,” said County Administrator Jock Connell. “Gwinnett is back to a multi-provider approach with residents choosing their trash haulers based on their ability to provide service as authorized by County government.”

Residents have the opportunity to extend trash service with their current haulers or choose one of the nine haulers who have agreed to provide services in the County:
Advanced Disposal Service Atlanta, LLC – (770) 381-6420
Allied Waste Industries – (770) 339-9393
Robertson Sanitation – (770) 921-7337
Red Oak Sanitation, Inc. – (770) 455-7819
Sanitation Solutions, Inc. – (770) 886-7323
Southern Sanitation – (770) 455-8186
Waste Industries – (678) 328-1650
Waste Management of Atlanta – (404) 799-2717
Waste Pro of Georgia, Inc. – (770) 777-1447

Trash haulers will continue to pick up the following recyclables once a week with residents’ curbside garbage service: newspapers and inserts, plastic drink and detergent bottles, aluminum cans, steel cans, glass bottles and jars.

Residents who paid to activate service with Advanced Disposal in 2009 will receive a refund and notifications of when they will expect to have the trash carts removed. Residents with Waste Pro carts will need to contact Waste Pro to discuss cart retrieval and refund information. Contact Advanced Disposal at (678) 684-1493 or Waste Pro at (770) 295-0800 or (770) 451-9395 for more information.

“Residents need to understand that the underlying court case is ongoing and will take several months to resolve, at a minimum. The County will revisit the solid waste ordinance in 2009 to determine the best plan to ensure that we reduce waste and increase recycling opportunities while providing the best possible plan for our residents,” Connell said. “We appreciate our residents’ and the current waste haulers’ patience as we navigate through this process.”

Gwinnett officials advise residents to contact their prospective trash hauler with questions about setting up or continuing their service. A call center has been set up at County offices to assist with general questions about the solid waste plan. If you have questions, please call (770) 822-7141 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. or visit the County Web site at www.gwinnettcounty.com. Please note that: Gwinnett County offices will be closed Dec. 24 – 25 and Jan. 1. The call center will be operable as this process continues.

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FAQs
Trash Haulers
December 23, 2008

Q: Will I still have curbside trash pickup in 2009?
A: Yes. You can opt to receive service from your current hauler or you can contact one of the other approved haulers in Gwinnett:

Advanced Disposal Service Atlanta, LLC – (770) 381-6420
Allied Waste Industries – (770) 339-9393
Robertson Sanitation – (770) 921-7337
Red Oak Sanitation, Inc. – (770) 455-7819
Sanitation Solutions, Inc. – (770) 886-7323
Southern Sanitation – (770) 455-8186
Waste Industries – (678) 328-1650
Waste Management of Atlanta – (404) 799-2717
Waste Pro of Georgia, Inc. – (770) 777-1447

Q: Can I change from the hauler the County selected for me?
A: Yes, you can choose to keep your current company or select any approved hauler.

Q: What about the recycling program?
A: The current seven-item program remains in effect.

Q: Will I be fined for not recycling?
A: There are no fines for not recycling.

Q: Should I pay the deactivation fee or will I be given a refund?
A: The new 2008 solid waste plan has been enjoined by the court. All of the waste haulers can remain in business if they wish. No company has been shut down and the County doesn't believe service has been stopped.

Q: Where is Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful in all this?
A: The court has enjoined Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful from providing services for the County while the order remains in effect.

Q: I would like to recycle more items. What about the new plan?
A: The County has listened to concerns of citizens and will certainly take those into account when considering how to rework the solid waste plan.

Q: When will the County revisit the solid waste plan?
A: Please remember the court has issued a temporary order and the lawsuit has not been concluded. A schedule for reviewing or updating the plan won't be addressed until later. Hopefully this could occur in 2009.

Q: For those people who've had cans delivered by who was supposed to be their new service provider, what should people do with those cans? Will someone come back to pick them up? How can people find out what to do with them?
A: Advanced Disposal will be retrieving their carts. They will send notification to the homeowner advising them of when they can expect to have the cart removed.

Homeowners with Waste Pro trash carts will need to contact Waste Pro to remove the cart should the home owner choose a solid waste provider other than Waste Pro.

Q: Who will be paying/is responsible for removing carts that were delivered for the new 2009 solid waste plan?
A: The cans will be removed at no cost to the homeowner.

Q: For people who've received bills from who was supposed to be their new service provider 2009 (Waste Pro or Advanced Disposal), what should people do with those bills?
A: The homeowner has a choice; either pay the Waste Pro bill if they wish to retain them for solid waste collection and disposal service or disregard the bill and choose a hauler from the County's approved hauler list who provides service to their particular area. Please note that some providers have limited service areas. This is a choice the hauler made when making application to the County.

Homeowners should not pay the Advanced Disposal bill. Homeowners who have already paid the bill will receive a full refund.

Q: For people who never canceled trash service with their old provider, do they need to call that provider now to tell them they still want service in 2009? What should they do if their old provider already picked up their can?
A: It is our understanding that service providers are working to get billing statements to their current customers for first quarter 2009. The homeowner may want to make contact with their current provider for any questions concerning cart delivery and rates.

Q: Should people who received a bill for quarterly service in 2009 from their old provider pay it now?
A: Gwinnett County has extended all solid waste service agreements for 120 days. Service agreement renewals for 2009 will begin on the 121st day and carry through December 31, 2009, pending any future court decision.

Q: Will the waste haulers who charged a deactivation fee to their customers refund the fee since they are no longer required to deactivate their services?
A: The deactivation fee charged by the service providers is a private matter between the hauler and the customer. Customers who were charged this fee should contact their hauler to resolve the issue.

Q: I have other questions; who should I call?
A: A call center has been set up at County offices to field questions from residents. That number is (770) 822-7141. Call center hours are 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday – Friday. The call center will be closed for Christmas Holidays on Dec. 24 – 25 and will also be closed on New Year’s Day, Jan. 1.
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Monday, December 15, 2008

Gwinnett Tech is One of Nation's Fastest-Growing Two-Year Colleges

Gwinnett Technical College is among the fastest-growing public two-year colleges in the nation, according to an annual analysis by Community College Week Magazine. GTC ranks 20th in the country with 12.6 percent enrollment growth.

In total, six Technical College System of Georgia colleges have been named in two categories of the top fifty fastest-growing public two-year colleges in the nation. The magazine based its report on the percentage of enrollment change among 1,153 colleges in the two-year period including fall 2006 and fall 2007.

"Gwinnett Tech has recorded double-digit enrollment growth for seven consecutive quarters – almost two years. Although registration for Winter Quarter is still on-going, it appears this strong enrollment trend will continue into 2009," says Sharon Bartels, Gwinnett Tech president. "Most importantly, these trends tell us that we're meeting our goal of providing relevant knowledge and real world workforce education to ensure that our students are successful."

Five other Georgia technical colleges making the top 50 list, with enrollments of between 2,500 and 4,999 students, include Griffin Technical College (4th), West Central Technical College (8th), Middle Georgia Technical College (28th), and Columbus Technical College (47th). East Central Technical College was the 29th among two-year colleges with enrollments of 2,500 or less.

The full report is available online at www.ccweek.com

"The kind of phenomenal growth that these six colleges are experiencing is a reflection of what's happening in enrollment throughout the Technical College System of Georgia," said TCSG Commissioner Ron Jackson. "More and more students are turning to Georgia's technical colleges to get the kind of 21st Century education and training that's vital to their success in today's highly competitive workforce.

Gwinnett Tech offers more than 45 degree, diploma and certificate program options. For more information, call 770-962-7580 or visit www.gwinnetttech.edu.
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Friday, December 12, 2008

Lawrenceville Kiwanis Club to Provide Christmas Cheer to Children in Need

The Lawrenceville Kiwanis Club will be hosting its annual Christmas party for children in the community who otherwise would not get to experience the traditional joys of the season. The party will include lunch, a visit and photo with Santa Claus, arts/crafts with local high school Key Club members, and gifts. Each child will go home with gifts from his or her wish list to open on Christmas Day, courtesy of corporate and individual sponsors and donors.

Corporate and individual sponsors have signed on to sponsor more than 300 children. Companies and organizations like Gwinnett Technical College, which hosts the party, participate in the event by donating popular toys and video games, as well as winter clothing and jackets, school supplies and other common items that top the list of children's wishes – and needs. This year, faculty, staff and students from Gwinnett Tech will provide gifts to 57 children. The event is held in cooperation with the Gwinnett County Department of Family and Children's Services.

When: Children and their families, sponsors and supporters of the Lawrenceville Kiwanis Club's Christmas program will attend the party on Saturday, December 13, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Where: The party will take place on the campus of Gwinnett Technical College in the Busbee Center, Building 700, 5150 Sugarloaf Parkway, Lawrenceville, 30043

Who: A special appearance by Santa Claus will take place during the party, where an anticipated 300 children, ranging in age from newborn to teens, will be the honored guests.
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