City celebrates recycling increase

Submitted by the Dalton-Whitfield Regional Solid Waste Management Authority 
Daily Citizen News

In 2008, Mayor David Pennington challenged city residents to increase the amount of curbside recycling. Dalton residents rose to the challenge by increasing curbside recycling efforts by 50 percent — from 598 tons in 2007 to 896 tons in 2008. 

In 2008, the Dalton public works department distributed an additional 1,625 blue recycling bins to residents. Benny Dunn, public works director, and City Councilwoman Denise Wood remind residents to do their part, get a bin, fill it up and put it by the curb to be picked up. If you recycle, talk to your neighbor who doesn’t. Tell them how easy it is. Tell them how much more room there is in your garbage can. If you’re a resident who is actively recycling, keep up the good work and thank you.

While a 50 percent increase in curbside recycling is notable, there is still room for improvement. According to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, at least 30 percent of all household garbage is recyclable. 

The benefits of curbside recycling are tangible and immediate. Last year alone, the city reduced expenses by more than $23,072 in avoided disposal fees and saved more than 1,490 cubic yards of landfill space. Additionally, the city earned more than $26,880 in shared revenue from the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority, which processes and markets the recycled materials.

Residents of Dalton recycled more than 627 tons of mixed paper in 2008, which saved more than 10,659 trees. The 4.5 tons of aluminum cans recycled by Dalton residents in 2008 saved the energy equivalent of 14,063 gallons of gasoline or 3 kilowatt hours of electricity. 

Curbside recycling is important — for the environment and for the city budget. If you’re a city resident and you don’t have a blue recycling bin, please contact public works at (706) 278-7077. Bins are available to city residents free of charge. Materials which may be recycled include mixed paper, cardboard, newspapers, magazines, plastic bottles (No. 1 & 2), glass bottles and jars, bi-metal cans and aluminum cans.

'E-waste' recycling Saturday in Dalton

Staff member at the recycling center loads a monitor into a gaylord box for electronic waste recycling collection.

By Charles Oliver
Daily Citizen News

Toss out that broken mouse in your desk drawer. Throw away that old printer you haven’t used in years.

The Dalton-Whitfield Regional Solid Waste Authority, Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful and Atlanta Recycling Solutions are hosting an “e-waste” recycling event on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Home Depot parking lot off Shugart Road.

“We’ve had a big increase in people calling wanting to recycle their old electronics, so we are really doing this at the citizens’ request,” said Bridget Sanford, director of recycling programs for the solid waste authority.

Residents can bring old computers, fax machines, telephones, video games, copiers, digital cameras, VCRs, shredders, microwaves, calculators and other electronics and drop them off free of charge for recycling.

They can also bring TVs, but there will be a $10 charge to take those. Sanford said that’s the fee charged by the company that recycles electronics for the solid waste authority.

“That’s the only thing we have to charge for. TVs, there just isn’t enough recyclable material in there,” Sanford said.

Residents are asked not to bring smoke detectors, household appliances and car batteries.

If you can’t make it Saturday, don’t worry. Recyclable electronics can be dropped off Monday through Friday at the solid waste authority’s recycling center at 4189 Old Dixie Highway. Again, there’s no charge for computers and such, but there’s a $10 charge for old TVs.

Dalton: Schools embrace recycling

 STAFF PHOTO BY KEVIN CUMMINGS:

Southeast High School special education students put cardboard and paper in the school's recycling bins. Special ed teachers at Southeast use recycling to teach job skills and environmental awareness.

By Kevin Cummings
Chattanooga Times Dalton Bureau

DALTON, Ga. — In the halls and offices of Southeast Whitfield High School, trees are protected from the chainsaw.

No trees actually stand within the school’s interior, but plenty of recycling boxes and cans for paper, plastic and aluminum are scattered through the building. Students deposit the recyclables and special education students pick the materials up and sort them twice a day.

Since the school started its “Raider Recycle” program in 2004 under educators Tom Brown and Rhonda Kelley, the school has saved 813 trees, according to the Dalton Whitfield Regional Solid Waste Management Authority, which partners with Whitfield County schools to encourage recycling.

Last week, in conjunction with America Recycles Day on Wednesday, the Solid Waste Authority honored four local schools for recycling more than 109,000 pounds in 2007-08 school year: Dawnville Elementary and Southeast, Northwest and Dalton high schools.

“This program is very special to me, as I believe that to get the community to recycle, we must first start with the children,” said Bridget Sanford, Solid Waste Authority recycling coordinator.

Special education teachers Lorie Harden and Kevin Kettenring said the 24 students who participate in the collection of the recyclables learn a job skill, too.

“We do it as a job-readiness skill,” Mrs. Harden said. “Most industries recycle and we teach them about sorting and how to properly prepare something to be recycled.”

Mr. Kettenring said he’d like to see more schools in the county participate in an outlined recycling program.

“When you think of all the paper and waste products that come out of 600 or 700 people under one roof, it just makes sense,” he said.

Whitfield County plans to expand recycling effort

Kevin Cummings
Chattanooga Times Dalton Bureau

DALTON, Ga. — Whitfield County leaders said they want to revitalize recycling programs in the county.

According to Bridget Sanford, recycling coordinator with the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Management Authority, the Authority board has decided to add a slew of new recycling drop-off points in busy areas.

Potential locations include government offices, businesses and industries, schools and recreational areas. Ms. Sanford said the Authority wants to change people’s thoughts about recycling and make it more convenient.

Whitfield County Commissioner Randy Waskul said there is an entire industry based on recyclables, and the Solid Waste Management Authority’s initiatives will have a significant impact.

“Anything we can do to expand our recycling program is great,” he said.

The program will collect cardboard, books, newspapers, magazines, paper, many fiber materials, aluminum cans and No. 1 and No. 2 plastic bottles.

Ms. Sanford said the expanded effort will make recycling readily available to about 50,000 people.

The city already has a curbside recycling program, and area landfills have drop-off containers as well.

Dalton pushes recycling

By Erin Fuchs
Chattanooga Times Dalton Bureau

DALTON, Ga. — Alderwoman Denise Wood said she’s not a “Dumpster diver” but admitted to rescuing recyclables.

“If I see an aluminum can on the top of the (trash) container, I will pull it out and drop it in the recycling,” she said.

As the city prepares to reduce the days it collects garbage, city officials are urging residents to minimize waste amounts by recycling certain materials.

Waste management officials estimate that 30 percent to 40 percent of trash is actually recyclable.

Norman Barashick, executive director of the Solid Waste Authority, said recycling is “an easy choice.”

“It’s just a matter of breaking that mindset that everything goes into the garbage,” he said.

The City Council agreed last week to cut trash collection from twice to once a week starting May 1.

Public Works Director Benny Dunn said the move will save Dalton about $150,000 a year. “If we can get everybody to recycle, I think everybody can make it (on) one day a week,” he said.

The city has already had a test-run for once-a-week collection. In 2005, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, fuel supplies were dangerously low, Mr. Dunn said. “We were trying to save all the diesel fuel for our fire trucks,” he said.

So, the city moved to once a week collection for two months, which Mr. Dunn said went smoothly.

But city resident Randy Mayfield doesn’t think it was smooth.

He said a “tremendous amount of garbage” piled up during once-a-week pickup.

“Disposable diapers, garbage for a week, is not sanitary,” Mr. Mayfield said. “We’re talking about flies ... maggots.”

Still, Mayor David Pennington pointed out that many cities collect trash only once a week.

And, he said, recycling education will help city residents make the switch to fewer pick-up days.

“They won’t have as much garbage in their can,” he said, “if they’re putting it in the recycling bin.”

About 20 years ago, only one curbside recycling program operated in the U.S. “By 2006, about 8,660 curbside programs had sprouted up around the nation,” according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Web site.

Ms. Wood, a self-described “master of recycling,” helped pioneer Dalton’s curbside recycling about 15 years ago. “We’re hoping our program becomes more ... widely used,” she said. “It’s just a matter of starting good habits.”