Bulky Waste Round Up Event on June 21, 2014

Annual Bulky Waste and Electronics Collection Day for Whitfield County Announced

The 2014 Bulky Waste Round Up is scheduled for Saturday, June 21, from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm at four drop-off locations in Whitfield County.  During the event Whitfield county residents may properly dispose of or recycle bulky waste without paying transportation fees.  The main location is the Old Dixie Hwy. Landfill and Convenience Center at 4189 Old Dixie Hwy. S.E., in Dalton.  Additional locations are the parking lots for Westside Middle School, North Whitfield Middle School, and the old Eastbrook Middle School gym parking lot facing Hill Street.  

Bulky waste refers to items that are too big for a typical household garbage can, like furniture and appliances.  Each of the four drop-off locations will be accepting bulky waste such as mattresses, box springs, sofas, couches, indoor furniture, appliances, baby or child car seats, bookshelves, large plastic toys, grills, swing sets, gym equipment, plastic swimming pools, patio furniture, basketball goals, and scrap metal. 

Electronics to be collected at each location include items like laptop and desktop computers, MP3 players, video game systems, digital cameras, video recorders, DVD players, cellphones, smartphones, scanners, printers, tablets, current television sets, and eBook readers.

Items that are not accepted at the three school locations include tires, home remodeling debris or waste, and household hazardous waste.  Those items need to be delivered to the Old Dixie Highway Landfill and Convenience Center location during the event hours.  Tires will be charged the regular recycling rate that starts as low as $2.00 per tire for passenger vehicles.  Home remodeling debris can be properly disposed of for at the special rate of 1 cent per pound.  Household Hazardous Waste, which includes items such as household pesticides, swimming pool chemicals, varnish and latex paints, can be dropped off free of charge.  For more information about each category visit www.DWSWA.org, call 706-277-2545, or 706-278-5001.

If you are unable to attend the event this year, please note that Household Hazardous Waste is accepted at the Old Dixie Hwy. Landfill and Convenience Center on the third Saturday of each month from 7 am to 2 pm.  Electronics, scrap metal, and bulky waste are accepted year round for no charge at the same location, Monday thru Friday 7 am to 6 pm, and Saturday 7 am to 3 pm.  Three additional Convenience Centers in Whitfield County also accept tires and bulky waste year round with applicable fees.

No matter what you need to drop-off or when, don’t forget 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. 

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful, the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority, and Whitfield County Public Works organize this annual event.  For more information or to volunteer, call Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful at 706-226-6211, or e-mail lswafford@dwswa.org.

Household hazardous waste facility marks 10 years

Originally Published in the Dalton Daily Citizen

June 20 marked the 10th anniversary of the household hazardous waste facility operated by the Dalton-Whitfield Regional Solid Waste Management Authority.

The authority developed the first permanent household hazardous waste collection facility in the state. More than 250,000 pounds of household hazardous waste has been managed through the facility.

Prior to 1999, the authority held an annual collection event for household hazardous waste. The Solid Waste Citizens Advisory Task Force identified a need for a permanent facility and more frequent collections. With a $50,000 grant from the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority, the local authority opened the first publicly owned and operated permanent household hazardous waste facility in the state.

The facility is open to residents of Whitfield County the third Saturday of each month and accepts leftover household products such as pesticides, old gasoline, batteries, paints and pool chemicals, to name a few. The facility has been used as the model for many communities around the state, but still remains the only facility like it in the state.

For more information regarding the proper management of household hazardous waste, call (706) 277-2545 or (706) 278-5001. 

The authority has announced its Independence Day holiday operating schedule for landfills and convenience centers:

• Friday — All locations open normal hours (7 a.m. to 6 p.m.)

• Saturday — All locations closed

• Monday — All locations open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• Tuesday — All locations open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Westside location normally closed)

• Wednesday — All locations open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (McGaughey Chapel location normally closed)

• Thursday — Normal operating days and hours resume