Recycling & Waste Reduction

Overview

When a product is at the end of its useful life, it is important that if possible it is composted, to break down organically back into soil, or is recycled into something else. Waste that is not composted or recycled ends up in the environment or a local landfill.

Composting helps reduce greenhouse gases and curb climate change, nourish soils and plants, prevent erosion, and keep material out of landfills. Compostable waste, like food and yard waste, makes up the largest proportion of the trash in the average home or business, so it is especially important to divert from landfills. Norcross offers weekly curbside yard debris collection to all single family residents. After the yard debris is collected, it is sent to Downey Tree Service to be processed into mulch or composted. 

Recycling creates local jobs, drives Georgia’s economy, preserves natural resources for future generations by reducing the need for raw materials, and uses less energy to make new products. Norcross has a curbside recycling program for single-family homes that accepts a variety of materials: paper, waxed cartons and flattened cardboard—including office paper and mail, juice and milk cartons, cereal boxes, shipping boxes and pizza boxes; empty and dry plastic bottles and jugs, such as soda, water, shampoo and detergent bottles; and empty and dry aluminum and steel food and drink cans. Please do not bag your recycling, and instead place it loose into your recycling bin or cart. Visit the Norcross Public Works webpage for more information about curbside recycling. 

In 2019, Norcross adopted an ordinance that requires all new multi-family residential developments to provide recycling access. Norcross also makes it easy for all residents to recycle non-traditional recycling items. The city provides a free drop-off for glass bottles and jars at Public Works, open Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm, located at 345 Lively Avenue, Norcross, GA 30071. Twice a year, in spring and fall, Norcross hosts a drop-off recycling event to allow residents to recycle shredded paper, electronics, batteries, fluorescent light bulbs, and paint. 

The City of Norcross is certified under the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) Green Communities program and is one of only several Platinum-level Green Communities in metro Atlanta. Below, see how Norcross is doing on completing ARC Green Communities measures around recycling and waste reduction:

VIEW RECYCLING & WASTE REDUCTION