DEKALB COUNTY – July 28, 2026. On Tuesday, July 7, 2026, the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners voted to approve a sanitation rate increase in DeKalb County. Included in this legislation were policies Commissioner Terry championed throughout discussions of the item, such as: funding a compost feasibility study, funding a residential collection pilot program, and incentivizing the cities of Avondale Estates, Chamblee, and Decatur to implement composting programs.
“DeKalb County is unique in that we have our own landfill and therefore receive nitrogen and carbon resources daily in the form of food scraps and yard waste. The best and highest use of these resources is not to throw them away, but to create a valuable product like compost,” said DeKalb County Super District 6 Commissioner Ted Terry. “Not only will expanding food scraps diversion and composting throughout the county reduce air pollution and smell at the landfill, but we will have access to a resource that can heal our soils which in turn benefits stormwater management, carbon sequestration, erosion control… the list goes on and on.”
Avondale Estates, Chamblee, and Decatur provide their own private sanitation services but haul their municipal waste and yard waste to Seminole Road Landfill and / or transfer stations, paying tipping fees to the County. Having avoided the 2023 tip fee increase, this 2026 sanitation rate increase would have almost tripled their current tip fees. Commissioner Terry successfully negotiated a freeze on rates for these three cities in 2026 with discussion surrounding 2027 fees dependent on “waste reduction program success.” Research conducted by the Super District 6 office estimated cities saving on a tip fee increase may be able to pay for a food scraps diversion program citywide.
This incentivizing of cities to adopt composting programs comes on the heels of Avondale Estates wrapping up their inaugural Curbside Composting Pilot Program. Made possible with a USDA Grant, the program enlisted over 540 households (~30% of Avondale Estates sanitation customers) over the course of a year who diverted more than 136,000 pounds of food waste that would otherwise have resulted in over 14,000 pounds of methane emissions.
“The city is honored to have collaborated with such strong partners to advance our collective interest in building a greener future,” said Avondale Estates Mayor Jonathan Elmore. “I am proud of the work our city did in this first-of-its-kind curbside composting pilot and look forward to partnering on other initiatives.”
“City residents composting is an environmental justice win for residents in DeKalb. It is not beneficial for our tip fees to price out the cities where they can’t even consider food scraps diversion long term,” said Commissioner Ted Terry. “If fees have to go up, it is a win for all when those fees pay for an additional service that reduces harmful methane emissions for all of DeKalb County.”
The DeKalb County Sanitation Division has stated that the additional funding garnered from the rate increase is necessary to account for salaries, increased fuel costs, purchase and maintenance of equipment, and investment in capital projects. The Sanitation Rate Increase legislation is Agenda Item 2026-0930.