In addition to being a Keep America Beautiful affiliate at the national level, Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful (GC&B) is one of 70 Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation (KGBF) affiliates across the Peach State. On February 5^th, during its annual Legislative Day at the Georgia State Capitol, KGBF presented Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful with a Governor's Circle Award. Designed to honor affiliates for their outstanding achievements in community beautification and environmental sustainability, GC&B was recognized for its exemplary performance in litter reduction, waste minimization, and community greening. Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful Executive Director Schelly Marlatt, Resources & Marketing Coordinator Carmita Rivera, and Environmental Outreach Coordinator Garret Dufty were all in attendance at the event to accept the award.

“We are so proud to be recognized as a Governor’s Circle Award recipient,” said Marlatt. “And to be honored in our beautiful State Capitol makes it all the more meaningful. Our team members, board members, and volunteers work hard – often giving up nights and weekends – to keep Gwinnett GREAT. From recycling and cleanup events to appearances at community festivals and our local schools, we’re always willing to go the extra mile on behalf of the county we all love. I want to thank the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation for this award, as well as the opportunity to work with the KGBF affiliate network to help make Georgia one of the cleanest, greenest, most beautiful states in the nation.”

To qualify for the Governor’s Circle Award, affiliates must be certified and in good standing with Keep America Beautiful (KAB), the national nonprofit that oversees state and local programming. Additionally, the affiliate must be an active member of the KGBF network. Certified KAB affiliates are required to effect meaningful, positive, and lasting change by directly addressing community needs in the areas of litter prevention, recycling, waste reduction, and beautification.

“Across Georgia, we’re focused on creating clean, green, and beautiful communities for everyone to enjoy,” said Natalie Johnston-Russell, executive director of the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation. “This year’s award recipients exemplify what’s possible when passion meets action, and we’re proud to recognize their outstanding contributions.”

As far as Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful’s contributions go, over the course of 2025, the Lawrenceville-based, eco-focused nonprofit:

• Grew its Adopt-A-Stream program dramatically – thanks to the dedication of 30 volunteers who contributed more than 500 hours of service. They completed 265 water samplings in total– a 70% increase over 2024 statistics. A total of 40 streams were adopted, 35 workshops were hosted, and nearly 200 new volunteers were certified. This growth reflected the nonprofit’s continued commitment to local waterway health and the community’s enthusiasm for protecting its environment. As a result, Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful’s Garret Dufty was asked to serve on Georgia’s Adopt-A-Stream Board.
• Experienced the ongoing success of its Adopt-A-Road program, resulting in 2,922 volunteers spending 24,829 hours removing 175,527 pounds of litter and 2,175 illegal signs from Gwinnett County roadways.
• Hosted 12 public volunteer events and welcomed more than 600 volunteers ready to make a difference. From beloved signature events like Earth Day, Great Gwinnett Wetlands, and Great Days of Service to exciting new hands-on projects like streambank stabilization and erosion control, there was no shortage of volunteer impact.
• Diverted 17,687 gallons of latex and oil-based paints, 38 tons of shredded paper, 39 tons of electronics, 37 tons of tires, and 3,709 lbs. of textiles from local landfills with the help of 210 volunteers who donated 1,050 service hours and served 3,300 cars during America Recycles Day and Earth Day events.
• Collected 87 tons of Household Hazardous Waste from 2,236 vehicles with the help of volunteers who donated a total of 500 volunteer hours over the course of two Household Hazardous Waste Collection Days.
• Was awarded a $25K grant from the Georgia Beverage Association’s Made to Be Remade Program to install a reversible vending machine at Brookwood High School.
• Expanded the County’s glass recycling initiative to 13 drop-off locations in partnership with Solid Waste and Ripple Glass through the EPD’s Recycling, Waste Reduction, and Diversion Grant. To date, more than 1.7 million pounds of glass have been recovered and diverted from landfills.
• Recognized as Best of Gwinnett in the Charitable Organizations category for the 8^th year in a row!

To learn more about Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful, its programs, and upcoming events, visit www.GwinnettCB.org.