Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful and the Department of Water Resources to Host Environmentally Focused Community Event at Gwinnett County Fairgrounds, Volunteers Needed

Lawrenceville, Ga. – January 26, 2023 – In true Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful (GC&B) fashion, the eco-friendly organization hits the ground running in 2023 with its annual Bring One for the Chipper live Christmas “treecycling” event on January 28. With no time to rest, just two weeks later, it will play host to another major environmentally focused community event. Along with its partners at Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources (DWR), GC&B will provide a FREE opportunity for its neighbors throughout the county to drop off household hazardous waste for recycling or proper disposal. As a result of their biannual Household Hazardous Waste Collection Days in 2022, the two organizations had a hand in helping 1,422 Gwinnettians declutter their homes while diverting 161,874 pounds of hazardous materials from local landfills. Predicting even better results this year, the first Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day of 2023 will take place on Saturday, February 11 at Gwinnett County Fairgrounds from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

“To help ensure a smooth event, we’re seeking an additional 50 volunteers,” said Schelly Marlatt, Executive Director for Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful. “We only have a four-hour window to collect materials from hundreds of cars, so this is a ‘the more, the merrier’ scenario. It’s a great opportunity to spend some time outdoors, meet other people who have a heart for the environment, fulfill volunteer hours for school and club commitments, and do something good for the community. Volunteers will help direct traffic, be assigned a station to help haul materials from vehicles, break down boxes and more. It’s easy but rewarding work. When people throw household hazardous materials in the trash, they will wind up in the landfill and could leech into the soil – contaminating groundwater and the environment. The dangerous combination of some of those materials during the disposal process could even lead to a chemical reaction resulting in a fire or explosion. It might not seem like it at the moment when our volunteers are collecting items from the trunks and backseats of our attendees’ cars, but we’re saving the planet – one pesticide, paint can and propane cylinder at a time!”

To sign on as a volunteer for this and future events, Marlatt encourages interested individuals and groups to visit Volunteer Gwinnett. As for participants at the event, attendees are permitted to bring up to five containers of household waste. Containers must be the size of a copy paper box or laundry basket, and – since they cannot be returned once removed from the car – disposable containers are recommended. Acceptable items for collection include:

• Aerosol/spray pesticides
• Automotive products (engine degreaser, brake fluid, transmission fluid, antifreeze, etc.)
• Cleaners, corrosives, spot removers, acids and bases
• Aerosol/spray paint
• Auto batteries
• Batteries (household and rechargeable)
• Chlorinated solvents
• Cooking oil and grease
• Fire extinguishers
• Flammables (lighter fluid and waste fuels (kerosene, gasoline, diesel fuel, etc.)
• Fluorescent bulbs and ballasts
• Insecticides
• Latex and water-based paints
• Lawn care products
• Mercury
• Mercury salts and elemental mercury thermometers
• Oil based paint and stains
• Oxidizers
• Pesticides
• Poisons
• Propane cylinders
• Solvents and varnishes
• Thermostats and other mercury containing items
• Thinners and paint strippers
• Weed killer
• Wood preservatives

“While we traditionally collect items like tires, electronics and paper for shredding at other annual recycling events like Earth Day and America Recycles Day, we will not have the capacity to accept those items at our Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day,” added Marlatt. “We don’t want to have any disappointed attendees on February 11, so we ask that our neighbors carefully review the list of accepted items before they head to Gwinnett County Fairgrounds. Just hold on to those tires, electronic and paper, then make plans to join us for our Earth Day Recycling Event at Coolray Field on April 22!” 

Other items that will NOT be collected during the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day include Ammunition, Radioactive Waste, Pharmaceuticals, and Biomedical/biohazard waste. Gwinnett County Fairgrounds is located at 2405 Sugarloaf Pkwy in Lawrenceville, and volunteers are asked to report at 8 a.m. on the day of the event. Questions about February’s Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day can be directed to Program Coordinator, Stephanie Marquardt at 770.822.5187 or gwinnettcb@gwinnettcb.org.
About Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful:  Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful Services, Inc. (GC&B) is a Keep America Beautiful affiliate and award-winning 501(c)(3) charitable organization. It boasts an expansive community-based network dedicated to finding long-term solutions to environmental and quality of life issues through individual action. The organization is guided by a Citizens Advisory Board that represents all sectors of the Gwinnett County community. A nationally recognized leader in creating cleaner, greener and more livable communities throughout Gwinnett, GCB involves more than 100,000 volunteers annually to clean and restore public places, recycle more, protect watersheds and develop the next generation of environmental stewards. To learn more about Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful and its mission of “Connecting People and Resources for a Sustainable Gwinnett,” please visit www.GwinnettCB.org.