Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority

Celebrating International Compost Awareness Week

(Dalton, GA, May 3, 2012) – In partnership with International Compost Awareness Week, Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful is hosting two Compost Bin Sales at the Downtown Dalton Saturday Market.  On both Saturday, May 5^th and Saturday, May 12^th at the Dalton Green from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm volunteers will be selling a limited number of the “Garden Gourmet” Backyard Composter for only $40.00 each, 50% off the retail price of $79.99.  A portion of each sale benefits environmental education for K-12 students in Whitfield County, and several Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful events like Christmas Tree Recycling Day.

The “Garden Gourmet” backyard composter is an attractive bin that fits neatly into almost any backyard space thanks to its compact size of 24”x24”x36”.   The easy to assemble bin is made from 51% recycled plastic and includes convenient features like a sliding bottom door to remove compost.  It’s an ideal choice for beginners since it includes a basic composting guide.

Gardeners refer to composting as “turning your garbage into gold” because it keeps food scraps and organic waste out of the landfill while allowing nature to recycle them into a nutritious soil amendment.   Items that can be added to your compost pile include coffee grounds, tea bags, fruit and vegetable scraps, leaves, hair, and grass clippings.

International Compost Awareness Week, organized by the US Composting Council, is from May 6 to 12 this year.  For more information, and to learn more about composting visit the US Composting Council at www.compostingcouncil.org.

For more information call Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful at 706-226-6211 or visit www.keepdaltonwhitfieldbeautiful.org.

• Photo – Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful is celebrating International Compost Awareness Week by hosting a Compost Bin Sale on May 5 and May 12 at the Downtown Dalton Saturday Market.  A limited number of Garden Gourmet Backyard Composters are available.

Annual Bulky Waste and Electronics Collection Day for Whitfield County

(Dalton, GA, April 6, 2012) - Community Pride Day during the Great American Cleanup will be on Saturday, April 21 from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm.  Community Pride Day facilitates Spring Cleaning by inviting Whitfield county residents to dispose of bulky items and electronics without paying disposal fees at select drop-off locations.  The Old Dixie Hwy. Landfill and Convenience Center is the Main Location for this event.  Community Locations include three middle schools, Westside Middle School, Eastbrook Middle School, and North Whitfield Middle School.

All four locations will be accepting bulky items for disposal and electronics for recycling.  Bulky items include furniture, household equipment, and appliances.  Electronics include computers, digital cameras, cell phones, printers, scanners, and laptops.  There is a limit of one television accepted per vehicle.  Please remember to secure your load for cleaner roads.  Tie down and put a tarp on items placed in the back of a pick-up truck or trailer.

The Old Dixie Landfill and Convenience Center is the only location accepting Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) that includes household pesticides, pool chemicals, varnish and latex paints.  For a complete list of HHW please visit www.DWSWA.org or call 706-277-2545.

New Hope Middle School Takes 5^th at the State Level

(Dalton, GA, March 9, 2012) –  Keep America Beautiful, Inc., the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization, has announced the winners of “Recycle-Bowl”, the first comprehensive nationwide recycling competition for elementary-, middle- and high-school students.  45 schools in Georgia participated at the state level recycling as much as possible during the weeks of October 17, 2011 to November 12, 2011.   Several local schools placed in the Top 10 in Georgia, including New Hope Middle School, which placed 5^th in the state.

Public and private schools in Whitfield County currently participate in Target Recycling at School, a free recycling collection service offered by the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority.  With the assistance of the DWSWA’s recycling center, 35 local schools were registered for the inaugural competition.  Each school received a kit to help promote recycling in their school.  At the end of the competition period the weights of the recyclables collected at each school were reported to Recycle-Bowl staff.

Georgia’s Top 10 Recycle-Bowl Competitors:

DALTON, GA -  On Saturday, January 7, 2012 Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful volunteers will be collecting live, natural, undecorated Christmas trees from residents for “treecycling”.  The free event will be held from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm at the Home Depot parking lot located at 875 Shugart Road in Dalton.

(Click here or on the logo to download the event flier!)

Christmas trees must be free of ornaments, nails, hooks, wires, tinsel, lights, and other decorations.  Only natural, live, real trees will be accepted - no artificial trees please.  Trees will be recycled on site into mulch that will be used for beautification projects throughout Whitfield County.  In exchange for dropping off their live Christmas tree for recycling residents will receive a free seedling or packet of seeds to plant at home.