Keep Smyrna Beautiful

Plan ahead for recycling! The Smyrna Recycling Center will be closed this Saturday, August 31, in observance of Labor Day.

KSB offices will be closed Monday, September 2, for Labor Day.

Regular hours will resume for both on Tuesday, September 3.

Join us in 3 weeks to securely shred and recycle your documents at our fall Document Shredding event.

This event takes place on Saturday, September 14, 2024, at the Aline Wolfe Recreation Center (884 Church St.) in Smyrna from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Paper only. No binders, binder clips, or folders. Staples are OK. All are welcome -- you do not have to be a Smyrna resident to participate.

Details can be found at https://keepsmyrnabeautiful.com/shred-fest/

Today is the day! Join us as we participate in the Great Southeast Pollinator Census today (8/23) and tomorrow (8/24)

Just pick a spot outside and take fifteen minutes to document the pollinators you see land on your plant of choice.

Those who would like to count alongside others can drop by the Smyrna Community Garden (4201 N. Cooper Lake Rd) today (August 23) from 9am to 10am. We'll have pollinator counting sheets and instructions available.

A downloadable counting sheet, identification guide, and additional details about the census can be found at https://www.gsepc.org/

Stormwater pollution prevention tip: Use a commercial car wash to prevent stormwater pollution

Unlike your driveway, commercial car washes recycle water. Also, their drains are connected to a sewer system, so the wastewater will be sent to a treatment plant.

On the other hand, when you wash your car in your driveway, the soap, oil, and dirt heads to the closest storm drain, which empties into the nearest stream or creek.

If you do decide to wash your car at home, wash it on grass or a landscaped area. Use soap that is free of phosphates and petroleum-based ingredients.

Back-to-School Tip: To kick off the back-to-school season, KSB is sharing school-focused recycling tips and reminders.

Today's tip is recycling adjacent! Sometimes it's better to REUSE than recycle. To reduce waste, bring a reusable water bottle and lunch box. (And don't forget to add a KSB water bottle sticker!) When you can, use refillable pens and shop for lightly used school clothes each fall.

Join us this Friday, August 23 and Saturday, August 24, for the Great Southeast Pollinator Census.

It's easy to participate!

1) Visit https://gsepc.org/ for instructions and a counting sheet.
2) Pick a spot outside and choose a plant.
3) Spend 15 minutes documenting the pollinators that land on that plant.
3) Upload the results.

Those who would like to count alongside others can drop by the Smyrna Community Garden (4201 N. Cooper Lake Rd) on August 23 from 9am to 10am, where pollinator counting sheets and instructions will be available. We'll even upload your results for you!

KSB partners with schools to provide a range of environmental education. Topics include recycling and papermaking, litter and waste reduction, watersheds and stormwater pollution, and more. We also offer tours of the Smyrna Recycling Center!

Learn more about what we have to offer at https://keepsmyrnabeautiful.com/school-partnerships/

KSB's latest e-newsletter is out! Read about environmental education offerings, the Great Southeast Pollinator Census, and more!

https://mailchi.mp/smyrnaga/ksbaug-2024

KSB volunteers picked up 90 pounds of litter, including 15 pounds of recyclable material, this weekend on South Cobb Dr.

Thank you, volunteers, for protecting local wildlife and waterways and keeping the streets of Smyrna clean and beautiful!

We had a great monthly tour of the Smyrna Recycling Center last Friday! Tours are free and open to the public, but registration is required.

Join us next month to get a behind-the-scenes look at the center and have all your recycling questions answered.

Register: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a054faaaa2fa6fa7-city #/

Back-to-School Recycling Tip: To kick off the back-to-school season, KSB is sharing school-focused recycling tips and reminders.

Today we're talking about lunches and plastic! School lunches have many recyclable components from plastic #1 water bottles to plastic films and wrappers, which can be placed in orange Hefty ReNew bags. Both can be dropped off at the Smyrna Recycling Center.

Make a plan with your child for how they're going to dispose of their lunch materials, whether it's through an onsite recycling program or by repacking those materials in their lunch bags and recycling them at home.

Learn more about materials the center accepts: https://keepsmyrnabeautiful.com/recycling-center/

Join us THIS FRIDAY for the free, monthly tour of the Smyrna Recycling Center!

Tours are offered on the third Friday of every month from 9am to 10am. Learn how to sort recyclables, how the center processes materials, and what happens to them in their next life.

Tours are open to the public, but registration is required: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a054faaaa2fa6fa7-city #/

Who's excited that school is back in session? We are!

KSB would love to partner with your school to provide environmental education. Topics to choose from include recycling and papermaking, litter and waste reduction, watersheds and stormwater pollution, and more. We also offer tours of the Smyrna Recycling Center!

Learn more about what we have to offer at https://keepsmyrnabeautiful.com/school-partnerships/

KSB is now recruiting new Adopt-a-Mile groups like this amazing group of volunteers from Keller Williams Cityside!

Adopt-a-Mile groups commit to cleaning their designated mile of Smyrna roadway four times a year. Anyone can adopt a mile. Families small and large, church groups, businesses, and civic groups are all examples of current Adopt-a-Mile groups.

Adopt-a-Mile is a great way to become more involved in the community, create team-building opportunities, and draw attention to your values with an Adopt-a-Mile roadside sign.

Learn more: https://keepsmyrnabeautiful.com/adopt-a-mile/

Stormwater tip: Anything that flows into a storm drain goes directly to the closest stream or creek. Many people think this water is filtered or treated in some way, but it is NOT!

This means that any trash left on the ground or material dumped in a storm drain directly affects the health of local waterways.

Individuals and groups can volunteer with us to independently mark storm drains with a colorful decal to remind people that anything dumped in the storm drain goes directly to the local creek. Suitable for ages 8+

Interested in volunteering? Visit our volunteer page to fill out an application or group interest form: https://keepsmyrnabeautiful.com/volunteer/

On Friday, August 23 and Saturday, August 24, you are invited to join the Great Southeast Pollinator Census!

Just pick a spot outside and take a few minutes to document the pollinators you see. Those who would like to count alongside others can drop by the Smyrna Community Garden (4201 N. Cooper Lake Rd) on August 23 from 9am to 10am, where pollinator counting sheets and instructions will be available.

A downloadable counting sheet, identification guide, and additional details about the census can be found at https://www.gsepc.org/

Join us on Saturday, September 14, 2024, to securely shred and recycle your documents at our fall Document Shredding event.

This event takes place at the Aline Wolfe Recreation Center (884 Church St.) in Smyrna from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Paper only. No binders, binder clips, or folders. Staples are OK. All are welcome -- you do not have to be a Smyrna resident to participate.

Details can be found at https://keepsmyrnabeautiful.com/shred-fest/

Shred Fest - Keep Smyrna Beautiful In order to reduce the amount of waste generated by Smyrna residents and other community members, Keep Smyrna Beautiful hosts two community document shredding events annually. These events provide a means for safe and secure document shredding and recycling. These events are open to everyone, and yo...

Back-to-School Recycling Tip: To kick off the back-to-school season, KSB is sharing school-focused recycling tips and reminders.

On this first Monday of the school year, we'd like to remind you to think of your recycling bin when all those school papers start rolling in! Even beautiful drawings can be recycled once their time on the fridge has expired. Please leave out crafts with stickers, glue, glitter, feathers, or heavy paper.

At the Smyrna Recycling Center paper is sorted into office paper (printed paper, letterhead) or mixed paper (everything else). Learn more about materials the center accepts: https://keepsmyrnabeautiful.com/recycling-center/

Join us for the free, monthly tour of the Smyrna Recycling Center!

Tours are offered on the third Friday of every month from 9am to 10am. Learn how to sort recyclables, how the center processes materials, and what happens to them in their next life.

Tours are open to the public, but registration is required: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a054faaaa2fa6fa7-city #/

Support KSB during its 40th anniversary year by purchasing a KSB T-shirt.

Not only do you support litter abatement, recycling education, and community events with this purchase, but also you help spread the word about the important work we do to keep Smyrna clean, green, and beautiful.

These T-shirts are exclusively available through our online store. Check out the options at https://www.bonfire.com/store/keep-smyrna-beautiful-store/

40th Anniversary Spotlight! The city of Smyrna arboretum has brought outdoor enjoyment to Smyrna residents since it was dedicated in the year 2000.

It was conceived in the late 1990s through a partnership between Keep Smyrna Beautiful and the Smyrna Parks Department. The arboretum and pond are now overseen by Smyrna Parks and Recreation.

Learn more and see some historical photos of the arboretum: https://keepsmyrnabeautiful.com/40th-spotlight-city-of-smyrna-arboretum/

Back-to-School Recycling Tip: To kick off the back-to-school season, KSB will be sharing some school-focused recycling tips and reminders.

First up? Electronics! If your student is due for an electronics upgrade, don't forget to responsibly dispose of their older device.

Phones, tablets, laptops, and other electronics can all be recycled at the Smyrna Recycling Center for free. Fees apply for TVs ($20) and computer monitors ($10).

More about the recycling center can be found at https://keepsmyrnabeautiful.com/recycling-center/

Our newest Adopt-a-Mile group got off to a fantastic start! They picked up 6 bags of litter on S. Cobb Dr. for their first quarterly cleanup this past weekend. Thank you, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangha Jai Ganesh Shakha Smyrna Georgia!

We had a great time at last week's Back-to-School Bash hosted by Smyrna Parks and Recreation!

Students and their families had a chance to engage with our Litter Timeline activity and our spin-the-wheel environmental trivia game.

We're looking for another school year of partnering with local schools to offer environmental education, tours of the Smyrna Recycling Center, and more!

Learn more about the environmental education we offer at https://keepsmyrnabeautiful.com/environmental-education/

Do you have a beautiful garden to share? Apply to be on next year's Smyrna Garden Tour!

Learn more about the tour and find the online application at https://keepsmyrnabeautiful.com/garden-tour/

A garden can be a great way to help reduce stormwater pollution! A rain garden reduces runoff, provides wildlife habitats, prevents the breeding of mosquitos, and more.

Learn more from Cobb County Water System: https://www.cobbcounty.org/water/education/water-quality/home/rain-gardens

Do you know a student who needs volunteer hours?

KSB offers regularly scheduled cleanups for ages 12+ as well as independent cleanups for ages 12+ and independent storm drain marking for ages 8+. (All volunteers under the age of 16 must volunteer with an adult.)

Contact Eloise at [email protected] for additional details or get started by filling out an online volunteer application: https://keepsmyrnabeautiful.com/volunteer/

KSB's latest e-newsletter is out! Read our 40th anniversary profile on the City of Smyrna Arboretum, dates for fall events, and more!

Read here: https://mailchi.mp/smyrnaga/ksbjuly2024

At the same time that Adopt-a-Mile groups hit their miles last Saturday, we also had a group of dedicated Community Cleanup volunteers picking up litter on East-West Connector. This group picked up 105 pounds of litter, including 30 pounds of recyclable material. This is litter that won't end up polluting our local waterways and harming wildlife.

Thank you, KSB volunteers!

Yesterday, we were thrilled to welcome back students and teachers from Busy World Learning Center and Storyland Childcare for a tour of the Smyrna Recycling Center and paper recycling activity!

Learn more about KSB's educational offerings on our website: https://keepsmyrnabeautiful.com/environmental-education/