With Thanksgiving just a matter of days away, Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful (GC&B) has a lot for which to be thankful. The eco-focused nonprofit recently hosted two community events – one geared toward cleanup and stewardship of a local watershed and the other focused on recycling – that saw incredible results, both in terms of volunteer participation and community impact. The numbers for GC&B’s renditions of Gwinnett Great Days of Service and America Recycles Day 2019 are nothing shy of impressive.

“We’re never ones to rest on our laurels and are already hard at work on future events, but these numbers are worth crowing about,” said Schelly Marlatt, Executive Director for Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful. “Of course, neither event would have been possible without the participation of hundreds of dedicated volunteers of all ages, the support of our amazing Citizens Advisory Board, or the partnership of incredible community partners like Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources and Gwinnett County Solid Waste Management. During this season of thankfulness, I’d also like to express my gratitude to Keep America Beautiful for their constant encouragement, and to (any vendors you’d like to highlight that aided in either event.) Lastly, I’d like to thank all the citizens who took part in Great Days of Service and America Recycles Day. We are truly grateful for the wonderful reception we receive from our neighbors during events like these. They see the difference we’re making within the Gwinnett County community, and that’s a real reward in and of itself.”

Great Days of Service 2019: In just two hours, 70 Volunteers collected 1120 pounds of debris total including 51 large bags of garbage, four tires, and four car parts from the Jackson Creek Watershed in Lilburn. That total collected represents 20 pounds more than last year in half the time. In addition, GC&B’s new Storm Drain Marker pilot initiative was implemented. Rather than using the traditional spray paint and stenciling kits as it has in the past, GC&B volunteer teams applied new round, metal discs to 280 storm drains. Furthermore, educational door hangers related to storm drain health were distributed to 1,300 households in the surrounding area. Afterward, Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources hosted its second annual Trick or Treatment Fall Festival at the Yellow River Water Reclamation Facility, which was well received by nearly 500 attendees.

America Recycles Day 2019: For this national Keep America Beautiful initiative designed to encourage recycling, GC&B gathered 171 volunteers at Coolray Field. They devoted a collective 941 hours to process 1,560 vehicles. Over the course of just three hours,  GC&B and its partners collected 808 pounds of textiles, 438 pounds of sneakers, 638 ink/toner cartridges, 5,556 gallons of latex paint, 602 gallons of oil-based paint, 120 gallons of paint aerosols,  seven tons of tires and 17 tons of electronics. In addition, 19 tons of paper were securely shredded.