Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority

Posted by chattanoogan.com, Submitted by KDWB

Dalton, GA - Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful, your local Keep America Beautiful affiliate, held several Great American Cleanup activities during the months of March, April, and May.  The 2010 Great American Cleanup™, a national campaign organized by nonprofit Keep America Beautiful, estimates that 3 million volunteers participated nationwide.

The national 2010 theme, “Green Starts Here,” is a rallying call that encourages volunteer groups, community leaders, and people of all ages and walks of life to begin creating more sustainable communities through their efforts as volunteers, and through their daily choices and actions. It also reflects Keep America Beautiful’s long legacy of community improvement activities.

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful events included Community Pride Day, Valley Point Ruritan Club Park Cleanup, and Adopt-a-Mile cleanups.  Participants in Adopt a Mile included Textile Rubber & Chemical, Whitfield Co. 4-H, Styron LLC (formerly Dow Chemical), and the Mayo Family.  Also, several Recycling Education sessions and a Backyard Composting session were held with the support of the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority.

This year KDWB logged the participation of 144 volunteers with a total of 539 volunteer hours of work valued at $11,000.   Over 73,660 pounds of litter, debris, and bulky waste were collected in the City of Dalton and Whitfield County.  Nine miles of road and three acres of parks were cleaned through the efforts of the volunteers.   An estimated 610 people attended educational sessions and over 1,028 residents participated in the variety of events.

Celebrate International Compost Awareness Week on Saturday, May 8 during Downtown Dalton Saturday Market from 9 am to 1 pm with Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful.  You will receive educational materials about backyard composting and have the opportunity to purchase a “Garden Gourmet” Backyard Composter for only $45 (regular retail price $75.99).  A portion of each sale benefits Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful programs like ‘Bring One For The Chipper’, Adopt a Mile, and ‘The Great American Cleanup’.

Gardeners refer to composting as “turning your garbage into gold” because it saves landfill space, conserves natural resources, and improves soil quality.  Items that can be added to your compost pile include coffee grounds, tea bags, fruit and vegetable scraps, leaves, hair and grass clippings.  The “Garden Gourmet” backyard composter is an attractive bin that fits neatly into almost any backyard space thanks to its efficient design.  This easy to assemble bin is made from 51% recycled plastic and includes convenient features like a sliding bottom door to remove compost.  This is an ideal choice for beginners since it includes a basic composting and user guide.

To schedule a pickup of a composter call 706-226-6211.  For more information about International Compost Awareness Week, visit the US Composting Council at www.compostingcouncil.org.

DALTON, GA -  Community Pride Day during the Great American Cleanup will be on Saturday, April 17 from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm.  Community Pride Day facilitates Spring Cleaning by allowing Whitfield county residents to dispose of bulky items and electronics without paying disposal fees at select drop-off locations.  The Old Dixie Landfill 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.