Community Pride Day on April 16, 2011

Annual Bulky Waste and Electronics Collection Day for Whitfield County

DALTON, GA – Community Pride Day during the Great American Cleanup will be on Saturday, April 16 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.

To download the event ad, click on the image to the left.

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.  Small electronics collected this year will benefit the 2011 Relay for Life of Whitfield County.

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.

Community Pride Day is open to residents of Whitfield County only.  Only residential or household waste will be accepted.  No business, commercial, construction or demolition waste is accepted.  Tires are not included in this event and should be disposed of at a Convenience Center for a minimal fee.  Household hazardous waste and tires will not be accepted at the school locations.

If you are unable to attend the event this year, please keep in mind that Household Hazardous Waste is accepted at the Old Dixie Landfill and Convenience Center on the third Saturday of the month from 7 am to 2 pm.  Electronics are accepted year round at the same location, Monday thru Friday 7 am to 6 pm, and Saturday 7 am to 3 pm.

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, visit www.keepdaltonwhitfieldbeautiful.org, or e-mail lswafford@dwswa.org.

Over 550 Christmas Trees Treecycled

DALTON, GA -  On Saturday, January 8, residents of Whitfield County participated in the annual Christmas tree recycling event called “Bring One For The Chipper”.  The free event organized by Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful took place at The Home Depot on Shugart Road and included the participation of 25 volunteers from several organizations.  “Bring One For The Chipper” has been a holiday tradition in Dalton-Whitfield for over ten years.  The 2011 event marked 20 years of “treecycling” in the state of Georgia.

During the event 145 residents dropped off their live Christmas tree for recycling in exchange for free seedlings, seeds, discount coupons, and if they came during lunch, a free spicy biscuit from Chick-fil-A.  Mascots greeting visitors included the Chipper, official mascot for “Bring One For The Chipper”, the Chick-fil-A Spicy Cow, and Recycling Ben from the Target Recycling Program.  Trees collected were recycled into mulch that will be used for beautification projects and is available for free to residents within Whitfield County.

Residents who missed the event were able to “treecycle” with curbside pickup from City of Dalton Public Works or yard waste drop-off at a Convenience Center.  During December and January, over 550 Christmas trees were collected in Whitfield County through the event and secondary collection options.  Statewide over 5.5 million trees have been recycled as mulch or habitats for wildlife since the beginning of the program in 1991.

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful would like to thank the following organizations for contributing to this year’s event: Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority, Whitfield County - Georgia Forestry Commission, Whitfield County Public Works Department, The Home Depot in Dalton, Dalton Falls Miniature Golf, Chick-fil-A on Walnut Ave. I-75, City of Dalton Public Works Department, The Daily Citizen, and Daylight Donuts on Old Dixie Hwy.  State level sponsors for this year’s event include the Georgia Department of Community Affairs’ Keep Georgia Beautiful program, The Home Depot, The Davey Tree Expert Company, Ferry-Morse Seed Co., and 11 Alive – Atlanta’s NBC Affiliate.

For more information visit www.KeepDaltonWhitfieldBeautiful.org or call 706-278-5001.

Treecycling Event this Saturday

DALTON, GA -  The Chipper and Recycling Ben invite you to treecycle this Saturday, January 8, during “Bring One For The Chipper!” 2011.  Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful volunteers will be at The Home Depot at 875 Shugart Road in Dalton from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm collecting live, undecorated Christmas trees for recycling.

In exchange for dropping off a live Christmas tree for the Chipper participants will receive a free tree seedling or a packet of seeds, and a pass to play a free round of mini golf at Dalton Falls Mini Golf.

Saturday’s treecycling event will include the participation of Chick-fil-A’s Spicy Cow from 11 am to 2 pm.  The Chipper mascot and Recycling Ben, mascot for the Target Recycling program, will be available to greet visitors from 12:30 pm to 2 pm.

Christmas trees dropped off for recycling 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.

“Bring One For The Chipper” has been a holiday tradition in Dalton-Whitfield for over ten years.  The 2011 event also marks 20 years of “treecycling” in the state of Georgia. Over 5.5 million trees have been recycled as mulch or habitats for wildlife since the beginning of the program in 1991.

Local sponsors and event organizers include Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful, Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority, Whitfield County Public Works Department, The Home Depot in Dalton, Whitfield County - Georgia Forestry Commission, Dalton Falls Miniature Golf, Chick-fil-A on Walnut Ave. at I-75, and Daylight Donuts on Old Dixie.  State sponsors for this year’s event include the Georgia Department of Community Affairs’ Keep Georgia Beautiful program, The Home Depot, The Davey Tree Expert Company, Ferry-Morse Seed Co., and 11 Alive – Atlanta’s NBC Affiliate.

Whitfield County residents that are not able to attend the event are encouraged to take their Christmas tree to one of four Convenience Centers which have drop-off locations for yard debris that is mulched year round.  These include the McGaughey Chapel, M.L.King Blvd., Westside, and the Old Dixie Hwy. Landfill & Convenience Center.  For hours of operation and directions visit www.DWSWA.org or call 706-278-5001.

For more details visit www.KeepDaltonWhitfieldBeautiful.org or call 706-278-5001.

Recycle Your Christmas Tree on January 8, 2011

DALTON, GA - Recycle your Christmas tree on January 8, 2011 during “Bring One For The Chipper”. This free event will be held at the Home Depot parking lot at 875 Shugart Road in Dalton from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful volunteers will be collecting live, natural, undecorated Christmas trees from the public. In exchange for bringing a Christmas tree for the Chipper, residents will receive a free tree seedling or a free seed packet to plant at home.

Trees will be recycled into mulch that will be used for beautification projects and is available for free to residents within Whitfield County. “Bring One For The Chipper” has been a holiday tradition in Dalton-Whitfield for over ten years. The 2011 event marks 20 years of “treecycling” in the state of Georgia. This event allows communities to put discarded trees to good use. Over 5.5 million trees have been recycled as mulch or habitats for wildlife since the beginning of the program in 1991.

“Bring One For The Chipper” would not be possible without the support of state and local sponsors. State sponsors for this year’s event include the Georgia Department of Community Affairs’ Keep Georgia Beautiful program, The Home Depot, The Davey Tree Expert Company, Ferry-Morse Seed Co., and 11 Alive – Atlanta’s NBC Affiliate. Local sponsors include Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful, Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority, Whitfield County - Georgia Forestry Commission, Whitfield County Public Works Department, The Home Depot in Dalton, and Dalton Falls Miniature Golf.

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.

If residents cannot participate the day of the event, there are two additional options available.

1.) The City of Dalton Public Works Department will collect trees from the curb. City residents should call 706-278-7077 for pick-up.

2.) All four Convenience Centers managed by the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority have drop-off locations for yard debris that is recycled year round. These include the McGaughey Chapel, M.L.King Blvd., Westside, and the Old Dixie Hwy. Landfill & Convenience Center. For hours of operation and directions visit www.DWSWA.org or call 706-278-5001.

For more details visit www.KeepDaltonWhitfieldBeautiful.org or call 706-278-5001.

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful Honored by Keep America Beautiful for Achievements in 2010

Local Organization Recognized as Among the “Best of the Best” Nationwide

DALTON, GA – Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful’s acceptance of the Keep America Beautiful President’s Circle Award for 2010 was announced during Keep America Beautiful’s 57th annual National Conference in Orlando, Florida on December 10th.  The President’s Circle Award recognizes exemplary performance made by certified affiliates of the national nonprofit to reduce litter, minimize waste and recycle, and beautify their local communities.

In qualifying for a President’s Circle Award, Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful has meet Keep America Beautiful’s standards of excellence by conducting an annual Litter Index survey, calculating the affiliate’s cost/benefit ratio, and engaging local volunteers to take greater responsibility for their community environment.  In addition, award recipients must conduct activities in Keep America Beautiful’s three core focus areas of litter prevention, recycling and waste reduction, and beautification/community greening.

During 2010 Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful held several events, including Bring One For The Chipper, Community Pride Day, Adopt-a-Mile cleanups, and educational sessions.  “Thanks to the participation of local volunteers, who are passionate about making a difference in our community environment, Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful has had a fantastic year.” said Liz Swafford, Executive Director of Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful.  “I want to thank each volunteer, our board members, and the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority for their support of our local affiliate in 2010.  And, I want to encourage others to join us in 2011.  Visit www.KeepDaltonWhitfieldBeautiful.org to register for our newsletter or call 706-278-5001 to see how you can participate.”

“One of Keep America Beautiful’s most effective tools is the work of our grassroots network of affiliate organizations, which has an impact on millions of Americans each year,” said Keep America Beautiful President and CEO Matthew M. McKenna. “Our affiliates are providing real solutions to problems like litter, graffiti, illegal dumping and other community blights. By engaging people of all ages in community improvement efforts, Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful is represented among the best in promoting the values Keep America Beautiful espouses nationally.”

Keep America Beautiful, Inc., established in 1953, is the nation's largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. With a network of more than 1,200 affiliate and participating organizations, Keep America Beautiful forms public-private partnerships and programs that engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community environments. For additional information, visit www.kab.org.