Today is Earth Day, making it as good a time as any to point out this fact -- litter is on the rise in Gwinnett County.

That according to a study released last month by Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful, a local nonprofit aimed at "fostering a cleaner, greener, more beautiful and more livable community." The study, dubbed a "community appearance index," noted a 14 percent year-over-year increase in both litter and illegal signage throughout the county. 

The study -- which uses a scale of 1 to 4, with 1 being the best -- also examined graffiti, illegal dumping, outdoor storage and storm drains. Outdoor storage rose by 8 percent, while graffiti and legal dumping stood pat. Storm drains were not assessed in previous years.

Overall, the county scored a 1.37. That's an improvement from the 1.89 it received in 2012.

Data was not broken down on the city or community level.

About the Author

Featured

The city of Brookhaven's mayor and City Council last week decided to remove the colored panes of glass from the dome of Brookhaven's new City Centre after residents objected to the brightness of the colors, seen here Friday, June 27, 2025. (Reed Williams/AJC)

Credit: Reed Williams/AJC