Recycling and Solid Waste

All interested local businesses or community groups can select a Gwinnett Challenge activity and be eligible to receive a cash prize! Projects must be completed between March 1 and May 31 and prizes will be awarded based on the most impact made on the community.

For more information and how you can get involved, visit www.gwinnettcb.org.

The increase of 30 cents per month goes into effect for the 2012 annual billing and will bring the total monthly fee for the weekly collection of trash, bulky items, and recycling to $18.16. The fee for 12 months of solid waste service to be included on the 2011 property tax bills amounts to $217.92. Those bills are expected to be received during the second week in September.

In accordance with the agreements the County has with the solid waste haulers, this fee increase is calculated from increases in the consumer price index and rising fuel prices. Even with the small monthly increase, residents will notice a substantial reduction in the total solid waste fee charged on the tax bills since they will only be billed for 12 months instead of 18. With the start of the new solid waste program in July 2010, residents were charged for service for the last six months of 2010 and all of 2011.

The implementation of Gwinnett County's solid waste and recycling program last year increased curbside recycling opportunities, provided same-day neighborhood pickup, and ensured all residents have trash service. More information about solid waste and recycling service in unincorporated Gwinnett County can be found on the Recycling and Solid Waste webpage.

• Ruled or lined paper as well as computer paper and construction paper can be placed in your recycling bin. If you can, remove the staples - those are too small to be recycled. Use the back of old paper to draw a picture or color with your friends
• Carbonless forms can also be recycled - even the pink and yellow copies
• If you have paper clips from an assignment and want to recycle the paper, hold on to the paper clips and reuse them for future projects
• Paperback books, including workbooks that are damaged or unreadable, can be placed in your recycling bin, too. If the book is still readable, donate it to your local library. All Gwinnett County Public Library branches collect books. Those collected will be sold, donated, or recycled, and a portion of the sales will benefit the library
• Do you still have last year's school calendar? Don't worry, those are recyclable. Just remember to remove the metal or plastic coil to make it easier to recycle
• If you use paper lunch bags to take your lunch to school, those can be recycled, too! To reduce your impact on the environment, use your paper bag more than once or even buy a reusable lunch box
• The juice boxes and straws from your lunch can also be recycled, but make sure to rinse them out before placing them in the recycling bin to avoid attracting bugs

As part of their Toilet Rebate Program, the Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources is offering toilet recycling to homeowners and renters. Bring your old and broken porcelain toilets to the Department of Water Resources Central Facility located at 684 Winder Highway in Lawrenceville for recycling. You must remove the toilet seat and any plastic parts, including handles.

The facility will accept toilets for recycling at any time. After business hours and on weekends, access is only available from the Hosea Road entrance.

For more information on the Toilet Rebate Program, please visit www.gwinnetth2o.com or call the Department of Water Resources customer service line at 678.376.6800.