Unique Atlanta facility makes recycling a 'charm'-ing experience

ATLANTA - Placing your empty plastic bottles and cardboard boxes in a recycling bin is simple. But what do you do with items like tires, mattresses, electronics, and cooking oil?

Well, thanks to a unique place called CHaRM, recycling those items is pretty simple too.

This morning on Good Day Atlanta, we got a rare chance to tour the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM), located at 1110 Hill Street Southeast in Atlanta. CHaRM is a drop-off facility for a long list of items, including Styrofoam, books, paint, chemicals, and more — things that generally end up in landfills. But CHaRM workers say 96% of items brought to their facility will be recycled, re-purposed, or re-engineered, helping to keep them out of the ground. CHaRM was created by Atlanta-based nonprofit Live Thrive, which was founded in 2010 with a mission to help communities create a healthier environment. 

Coming up on on the evening of Oct. 19, Monday Night Brewing Garage will host a benefit for Live Thrive called "A CHaRM’ing Evening." The fundraiser supports Live Thrive education programs along with CHaRM operational costs, and will feature live music by Yacht Rock Revue. Of course, with Yacht Rock Revue playing, the requested dress code is attire from the 1970s and 1980s — so dig out your three-piece suits and shoulder pads! Tickets for the evening are currently $70 and available for purchase here. 

For more information on CHaRM and to see a full list of the items accepted by the facility, click here. And click the video player in this article to check out our morning getting a look at the fascinating work being done there!