Resources - Gwinnett County Recycles

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Recycling in Gwinnett

For more information about recycling in Gwinnett County, visit the following websites or your city government’s website:

Gwinnett County Government
Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful

For more information about composting at home, check out this toolkit from Drawdown Georgia. To find neighbors near you who accept drop-offs of compostable materials, consult the ShareWaste app.

Take action on important waste issues by using our template letters to contact your commissioner.

Starting and Maintaining Recycling Programs

For information about recycling programs in schools:

Catch the Cycle: A Guide to Recycling in Georgia Schools

For information about recycling programs in multi-family dwellings:

Guide to Building Multi-Family Recycling Programs in Georgia

For information about recycling programs in the workplace:

For information about municipal government recycling programs:

EPA Region 4 Municipal Government Toolkit: Improving Your Recycling Program

Resources for Educators

For resources to help K-12 students understand the importance of recycling and the recycling industry, as well as learn key STEM topics related to recycling, with rich, standards-based, multimedia curricular experiences, visit a learning portal from the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI).

Download step-by-step lesson plans and supporting materials including activities, videos, student certificates, and handouts that support students’ real-world learning about sustainability and how to recycle properly from waste hauler Republic Services.

Teach students to reduce, reuse, and recycle with resources from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

General Waste and Recycling Information

Read new articles about recycling and other environmental topics every day on Earth911.com, a site that also provides the Internet’s most comprehensive directory to help you determine what you can recycle and where.

Learn more about recycling — and earn points to redeem on purchases or charitable donations — by reading articles, completing interactive activities, and taking pledges on Recyclebank.com.

For an industry insider’s look at recycling and trash trends, check out articles posted daily on WasteDive.com.

For a daily dose of sustainability news and insights, subscribe to the daily newsletter from Treehugger.com.

For guidance taking action on plastic pollution, check out Shift.how.

Books About Waste and Recycling

The following great reads for teens and adults are available for free through the Gwinnett County Public Library:

Can I Recycle This? A Guide to Better Recycling and How to Reduce Single-use Plastics by Jennie Romer
101 Ways to Go Zero Waste by Kathryn Kellogg
The Story of Stuff: How Our Obsession With Stuff Is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health–and A Vision for Change by Annie Leonard
The Day the World Stops Shopping: How Ending Consumerism Saves the Environment and Ourselves by J. B. MacKinnon
Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion-Dollar Trash Trade by Adam Minter
Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale by Adam Minter
Plastic-Free: How I Kicked The Plastic Habit and How You Can Too by Beth Terry
Plastic: A Toxic Love Story by Susan Freinkel
Life Without Plastic: The Practical Step-by-Step Guide to Avoiding Plastic to Keep Your Family and the Planet Healthy by Chantal Plamondon
Plastic Purge: How to Use Less Plastic, Eat Better, Keep Toxins Out of your Body, and Help Save the Sea Turtles! by Michael SanClements
Living Without Plastic: More Than 100 Easy Swaps for Home, Travel, Dining, Holidays, and Beyond by Brigette Allen

The following books for kids are also available for free through the library:

Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth by Mary McKenna Siddals (ages 3 to 7)
The Three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle by Nuria Roca (ages 4 to 8)
Max Goes to the Recycling Center by Adria F. Klein (ages 4 to 8)
Don’t Waste Your Food by Deborah Chancellor (ages 5 to 8)
What Happens to Our Trash? by D.J. Ward (ages 5 to 9)
Where Do Garbage Trucks Go? And Other Questions About Trash and Recycling by Benjamin Richmond (ages 6 and up)
Kids Fight Plastic: How to be a #2Minute Superhero by Martin Dorey (ages 7-12)
What Milly Did: The Remarkable Pioneer of Plastics Recycling by Elise Moser (ages 8 to 11)
10 Things You Can Do To Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle by Elizabeth Weitzman (ages 8 to 12)
Plastic Sucks! How You Can Reduce Single-Use Plastic and Save Our Planet by Dougie Pointer (ages 8 to 12)

For other sustainability-themed book recommendations, check out Gwinnett County Public Library’s staff-curated list.

Documentary Films About Waste and Recycling

Recommended documentaries about waste and related environmental issues include: