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International Compost Awareness Week: May 4-10, 2025
Celebrated annually, International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) is designed to promote the benefits of composting and compost itself for effective resource management, soil health, and plant growth. ICAW is promoted by holding group activities and events throughout the week.
This year's international poster shows off the Athens skyline from North Avenue. Show off your Athens pride and join in on the activities!
The events are sponsored locally by ACC Waste Reduction Division, Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful, UGA Cooperative Extension, ACC Library, and the State Botanical Garden of Georgia.
For any questions please contact: compost@accgov.com.
ALL WEEK
On Social MediaFrom story times to videos and more, be sure to follow us on social media for more composting fun! @accsolidwaste @kaccb @athensclarkelibrary @botgarden @lilyannephibian @accstormwater @theugarden Get Caught Composting! Post your best photos getting caught in the act of composting or using compost! Be sure to tag your photo with @accsolidwaste and #caughtcompostinginGA, #composting, #icaw, #getcaughtcomposting. Also, check out our social media pages to see who else is composting in Athens. Show us your garden! Do you use Classic City Compost in your garden/flower beds/etc? We want to share your beautiful gardens on the ACC Solid Waste social media to promote compost usage in Athens! Please email us photos of your garden to be posted on our social media at compost@accgov.com. Leave us your first name and any information you would like to share! | ||
Half-Price Compost Sale | Monday - Saturday (9:00 am – 3:00 pm) | Athens-Clarke County Landfill and Composting Facility 5700 Lexington Road, Winterville, GA 30683 |
| $10/cubic yard - Limit of 5 yards per customer. Food scrap compost is available, but there is a limited supply. First come, first served! | ||
Compost Giveaway | Monday - Saturday (9:00 am – 3:00 pm) | Athens-Clarke County Landfill and Composting Facility 5700 Lexington Road, Winterville, GA 30683 |
| Wondering what the big deal is all about with using compost? Does it really improve your soil and help plants to be healthier and bigger? Will I really see fewer pests and diseases? Can I really water my plants less if I add compost? Come out to the compost facility with your food scraps for composting and get a free sample. Bring your own container to shovel up and see for yourself. | ||
No-Charge Residential Food Scrap Drop-Off Program
Residents can bring buckets of food scraps and other compostable material for no charge to be composted. To see what can composted, visit accgov.com/Compost-Drop-Off-Program or email compost@accgov.com.
| 1. Cooperative Extension 275 Cleveland Rd | 2. Bishop Park Pavilion* 705 Sunset Dr | 3. UGA Facilities Bowstrom Rd | 4. CHaRM* 1005 College Ave | 5. Fine Arts MLC 255 Baldwin St | 6. UGA Family Housing 111 College Station Rd |
| 7. UGArden 2500 S Milledge Ave | 8. Solid Waste Office 725 Hancock Industrial Way | 9. ACC Tag Office Jail Rd | 10. Winterville 115 S Church St | 11. ACC Landfill* 5700 Lexington Rd |
* Limited hours, check website.
Where's Binny Bingo!
HOW TO PLAY:
Help us find Binny! He's at businesses that compost and food scrap drop sites around town.
As you find Binny around Athens, take a picture of each one and check it off your bingo card. Once you get bingo, email the pictures to compost@accgov.com! Fill out the whole card? You're in for an even bigger prize!
The search begins on May 4th and ends on May 10th.
FIND BINNY HERE:
- Hendershots
- 1000 Faces Coffee
- UGArden Food Scraps Drop Site
- Athens-Clarke County Compost Facility
- Creature Comforts Taproom
- Condor Chocolate at Five Points
- UGA Cooperative Extension Office
- Maepole on Chase St.
- Jeni's Ice Cream
Saturday, May 3rd
UGArden Community Day | 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM | UGArden 2500 S Milledge Ave, Athens |
| Bring a bucket, cause we're giving out compost! Come visit us to chat about compost, where to bring food scraps, how to use compost, and more! Try farm fresh food, learn to dye with indigo, and check out the other local organizations working to keep Athens cool. | ||
Compost Bins for Sale | 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM9:00 AM - 1:00 PM9:00 AM - 1:00 PM | Athens Farmers Market 705 Sunset Drive, Athens UGArden Community Day 2500 S Milledge Ave, Athens Marigold Market 115 Parkview Rd, Winterville |
| Ready to start composting at home? Earth Machine Compost bins are available from Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful for $52 (tax included). You may purchase online using a credit card at accgov.com/kaccbcomposting. KACCB will contact you to arrange for contact-free pick-up when we receive your order. Master Gardeners will also be selling compost bins at the Athens Farmers Market and Winterville Marigold Farmers Market. | ||
Monday, May 5th
Garden Gnome Compost Program | 2:00-4:00 PM (Drop-in) | UGA State Botanical Garden of Georgia Children's Garden 2450 S Milledge Ave, Athens, GA 30605 |
| The Garden Gnomes docent program is offered multiple times a week in the children’s garden. This is a free 5 to 10-minute activity led by the garden staff and volunteers that encourages kids of all ages to engage in different ways with the galleries in the garden. Look for tables set up throughout the garden during your visit to participate. | ||
Tuesday, May 6th
Wednesday, May 7th
Garden Gnome Compost Program | 2:00-4:00 PM(Drop-in) | UGA State Botanical Garden of Georgia Children's Garden 2450 S Milledge Ave, Athens, GA 30605 |
| The Garden Gnomes docent program is offered multiple times a week in the children’s garden. This is a free 5 to 10-minute activity led by the garden staff and volunteers that encourages kids of all ages to engage in different ways with the galleries in the garden. Look for tables set up throughout the garden during your visit to participate. | ||
Compost Story Time | 10:30 -11:30 AM | Athens-Clarke County Library 2025 Baxter St, Athens, GA 30606 |
| Join Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful for a story about compost! | ||
Compost Giveaway | 12:00-6:00 PM | CHaRM 1005 College Ave, Athens, GA 30601 |
| Wondering what the big deal is all about with using compost? Does it really improve your soil and help plants to be healthier and bigger? Will I really see fewer pests and diseases? Can I really water my plants less if I add compost? Come out to CHaRM and get a free sample. Bring your own container and shovel up and see. | ||
Thursday, May 8th
Pre-K Program Sweet Pea Club | 10:15 - 11:00 AM | UGA State Botanical Garden of Georgia Children's Garden 2450 S Milledge Ave, Athens, GA 30605 |
| Join the State Botanical Garden of Georgia education team for Sweet Pea Club at the Alice H. Richards Children’s Garden. Families will join one another for a morning of adventure in the garden through a variety of activities that can include songs, puppets, stories, hikes and games. This week will highlight our soil. The Sweet Pea Club program is an informal way to give young naturalists and their adult helpers a better understanding of the importance of our shared earth. This program is geared toward ages 3-5. Please note that this event may change location within the garden if there is inclement weather. Registration is required. Please visit https://botgarden.uga.edu/event/sweet-pea-club/2024-05-09/to register. | ||
The Basics of Composting | 6:00 PM | ACC Extension Office 275 Cleveland Rd, Bogart, GA 30622 |
| In honor of International Compost Awareness Week, we will be hosting a free presentation from Suki Janssen, our Athens-Clarke County Director of Solid Waste. Join us to learn why composting is important and how you can get started. Registration is not required but RSVP is appreciated. For questions or to RSVP, contact Laura Ney, lney@uga.edu | ||
Friday, May 9th
Edible Compost Teen Activity | 4:00 - 5:00 pm | Athens-Clarke County Library 2025 Baxter St, Athens, GA 30606 |
| Join Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful and make edible compost! Great for an afternoon snack-and-learn. | ||
Garden Gnome Compost program | 9:00-11:00 am & 3:00-5:00 pm (Drop-in) | UGA State Botanical Garden of Georgia Children's Garden 2450 S Milledge Ave, Athens, GA 30605 |
| The Garden Gnomes docent program is offered multiple times a week in the children’s garden. This is a free 5 to 10-minute activity led by the garden staff and volunteers that encourages kids of all ages to engage in different ways with the galleries in the garden. Look for tables set up throughout the garden during your visit to participate. | ||
Saturday, May 10th
Compost and Coffee | 10:00 am - 11:00 pm | Athens-Clarke County Compost Facility 5700 Lexington Road, Athens, GA |
| Curious how we make our compost? Now is the time to learn! Come along on a tour of the ACC Composting Facility and see the process firsthand. We'll bring the coffee, you bring the questions. Participants receive a free vegetable plant grown by the Athens Land Trust's Young Urban Farmers! | ||
Garden Gnome Compost Program | 9:00-11:00 am (Drop-in) | UGA State Botanical Garden of Georgia Children's Garden 2450 S Milledge Ave, Athens, GA 30605 |
| The Garden Gnomes docent program is offered multiple times a week in the children’s garden. This is a free 5 to 10-minute activity led by the garden staff and volunteers that encourages kids of all ages to engage in different ways with the galleries in the garden. Look for tables set up throughout the garden during your visit to participate. | ||