▼

Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful

Show All Answers

1. What items can I bring to Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful (KACCB) for recycling?

KACCB accepts old cell phones, cameras, PDAs, MP3 players, GPS devices, batteries, plastic bags, laser jet cartridges, and ink jet cartridges. You can get a collection box for your business or workplace by calling (706) 613-3501 ext 312.

2. Where are you located?

The Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful (KACCB) office is located at the ACC Solid Waste Department at 725 Hancock Industrial Way. Our office can be accessed from the 10/441/129 Loop. On the East end of the loop turn onto Olympic Drive at the red light. Go 1.1 miles and Hancock Industrial Way will be on your right (past Carrier Transicold). Travel 1/4 mile and the ACC Solid Waste Department is the first building on the right.

3. Do you sell compost bins?

Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful is proud to support home composting by offering the Earth Machine compost bin for sale to the public. The compost bin can be purchased for $50 and includes a kitchen compost pail. For more information about the bin, please visit Earth Machine. Compost bins can be purchased in person by cash, check, or PayPal at KACCB Shopping Cart

4. What is Adopt-A-Highway?

Adopt-A-Highway is a local litter prevention program sponsored by Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful (KACCB) that works to involve community volunteers in local roadside clean-up efforts. The goal of the program is to reduce roadside litter in an effort to keep our community clean and beautiful. Community organizations and/or volunteers accept the responsibility of regular litter pickups on their “adopted” local roadway. Adopt-A-Highway is part of the larger Adopt Athens Program. Any civic-minded organization, such as garden clubs, church groups, scout groups, student clubs, businesses, corporations, families, etc. can adopt a stretch of county roadway. Visit KACCB's Website for more information, an application, to request tools, or report a pickup. Or call 706-613-3501 ext. 309 for an application.

5. What is the Adopt Athens program?

Adopt Athens is a community appearance program that allows community volunteers to take part in the care and maintenance of county roads, parks, rivers, medians, bus stops, etc. Please contact the Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful office at 706-613-3501 ext. 309 for an application or further information.

6. Does it cost money for an organization to adopt and maintain an area?

There is no monetary cost involved. All supplies (grab-its, safety vests, trash bags) are supplied by Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful (KACCB). The organization supplies the manpower. The KACCB program provides and installs two free metal Adopt-A-Highway road signs listing the name of the adopting organization.

7. What if I’m not involved with an organization that has an adopted space, but would still like to volunteer my time with community cleanups?

An individual can participate in the monthly Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful (KACCB) clean-ups called “The Down and Dirty of Keepin’ Athens Clean.” The KACCB Program takes citizen recommendations to determine the down and dirty site locations. 

8. Does Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful (KACCB) loan tools to the community?

Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful (KACCB) and Habitat for Humanity have partnered to bring you the Athens Area ToolShed program. This community resource offers a large inventory of tools ranging from gardening tools to renovation tools to assist you and your volunteers with community improvement projects. To reserve tools, complete and submit a Tool Reservation Form as far in advance of your project as possible. This form is available at KACCB's Toolshed.

9. How do I get recycling bins?

Recycling roll carts and bins are reserved for residential customers who pay for monthly garbage and recycling services through Athens-Clarke County Solid Waste Department (our service area is the Urban Service District - old Athens city limits). We just need your address and our customer service representative will drop them off for you. If you live outside the Urban Service District in the General Service District and receive trash service from a private trash hauler, please contact the private hauler for bins. They are required to provide bins for recycling when requested.

If you don’t have trash service or you live in an apartment complex (multi-family dwelling), you may use one of our eight drop-off sites for recycling, and we can send you two large green reusable recycling tote bags (20 inches tall by 20 inches wide with a 12-inch gusset / bottom). There is no charge for the bags. We can mail the bags if provided a physical address to mail them. You can also come and pick them up from the KACCB office or the Athens-Clarke County Recycling Facility. The bags are washable, but not suitable for machine drying.

10. How do I get recycling service in my apartment complex?

Contact your apartment complex manager or landlord and inquire as to who is collecting your garbage from your dumpster. The company that handles your garbage may work with you to collect your recyclables. Athens-Clarke County Solid Waste Department does provide commercial dumpster services; we compete with private haulers in the area for business. If Athens-Clarke County Solid Waste department is your commercial hauler then all recycling collections are included at no additional charge. Our fees can be found on our Recycling Dumpster page

11. Where can I donate materials locally for reuse?

Donate to any of these organizations:

• Episcopal Thrift House, 706-543-7047, 450 Prince Avenue


• Goodwill Industries, 706-433-1900, 10 Huntington Road


• Habitat For Humanity Thrift Store, 706-354-0936, 532 Barber Street


• Potter’s House, 706-546-5596 or 706-546-5596


• Project Safe Thrift Store, 706-425-8863, 995 Hawthorne Avenue


• The Salvation Army, 706-543-5350, 484 Hawthorne Avenue


• Teacher Reuse Store, 706-613-3501 ext. 312

12. Where can I take aluminum cans and/or other scrap metal for recycling?

Take your cans and metal for recycling at:

• Athens Auto Wrecking Recycling (Alewine’s), 706-548-2211, Highway 29


• Athens Recycling Corporation, 706-548-9025, 9740 Commerce Road


• Carolinas Recycling Group (CFG), 706-613-5201, 590 Old Hull Road (corner of Old Hull and Athena Drive)

13. Where can I take electronics for recycling and reuse?

If you have a computer contact Free IT Athens. Otherwise just drop off your electronic device at the Athens-Clarke County Landfill for recycling. View a list of accepted electronic devices. We currently don’t take TVs. These can be thrown out as trash or stored until our fall TV collection day.

14. Where can I recycle hardback books and paperback books?

Learn how to recycle your books and other media on our book recycling page.

15. Where can I recycle cooking grease?

Cooking oil can be dropped off at the Solid Waste Department for recycling at no cost. Do not under any circumstances discard the old cooking oil in the sink or toilet. Not only will you potentially clog your drains, but you may cause serious problems for the Water Pollution Control plant.

16. What plastics are recyclable and why?

Visit the ACC Recycling Division's Website for up-to-date recycling information, including information on where to take hard to recycle items.

17. Do you take pizza boxes or paper plates?

We do take pizza boxes but only if they are relatively free of food or grease. Generally, paper plates have too much food reside to make them good for recycling.