Billboard Design Contest for Middle School Students Announced

Target Recycling, a program managed by the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority (DWSWA), has initiated a billboard design contest for Middle Schools in Whitfield County. Students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade are asked to design artwork for a billboard with a recycling theme in celebration of America Recycles Day. The winning design will be displayed for four weeks on two billboards within our community.

The 2010 America Recycles Day Billboard Contest is the first of it’s kind for the recycling program. America Recycles Day takes place yearly on November 15 and encourages the public to take a pledge to recycle. Winners will be announced on Monday, November 15 at City Hall in the City of Dalton.

Middle schools that recycle with Target Recycling in Whitfield County are invited to participate. These include Eastbrook Middle School, New Hope Middle School, North Whitfield Middle School, Valley Point Middle School, Westside Middle School, Dalton Middle School, Christian Heritage School, and the Learning Tree School. 

Entries are due on Wednesday, November 10th. There is no entry fee, however an official entry form needs to be included with the artwork. Only artwork submitted directly from a school representative will be accepted. Billboard design requirements, participating schools, suggested themes, and important dates are available in the Contest Rules document. 

For more information contact Liz Swafford, Recycling and Education Program Coordinator, at 706-278-5001 or e-mail: lswafford@dwswa.org.

16th Annual Conasauga Watershed Clean-up

DALTON, GA - Residents of Whitfield and Murray Counties are encouraged to help clean-up the Conasauga River during the United Way of Northwest Georgia’s “Make a Difference Day” on Saturday, October 23rd from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. The Conasauga Watershed Clean-up has been a part of Rivers Alive, a statewide campaign to clean and preserve over 70,000 miles of Georgia’s rivers and streams, for sixteen years.

Six locations through out Whitfield and Murray counties have been selected as clean-up sites:

1. Conasauga River at Lower King’s Bridge/Norton Bridge

2. Conasauga River at Highway 2 bridge

3. Conasauga River at Carlton Petty Road bridge

4. Holly Creek, Murray County, on the Chattahoochee National Forest

5. Mill Creek tributary in the City of Dalton

6. Coahulla Creek at Prater’s Mill

Those interested in volunteering should arrive at their desired clean-up location the day of the event a few minutes before 9:00 am to register. At least the first 200 volunteers will receive a free t-shirt and stainless steel water bottle in appreciation for their participation. Volunteers should dress appropriately. Sturdy shoes or boots, gloves, long pants, and long sleeved shirts are recommended. Hip or chest waders are useful, but are not required. Trash bags and other clean up supplies will be provided.

To download the event flyer with directions or the volunteer waiver, visit www.KeepDaltonWhitfieldBeautiful.org. For additional information, please contact John Lugthart at jlugthart@daltonstate.edu or call 706-272-2485. For more information about efforts in other areas or the statewide campaign, call 404-675-6240 or go to www.RiversAlive.org.

Local Sponsors include Shaw Industries, Dalton Utilities, Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority (DWSWA), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and the Conasauga River Alliance (CRA).

Coordinators include the Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE), Carpet & Rug Institute (CRI), CRA, Dalton State College, Dalton Utilities, DWSWA, Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful, TNC and Murray & Whitfield County Extension.

Supporters of the statewide campaign include Georgia Adopt-A-Stream and Project WET, Georgia Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division, Keep Georgia Beautiful, and Georgia Department of Community Affairs.

During the 2009 river cleanup 26,000 volunteers cleaned over 2,150 miles of waterways and removed over 476 tons of trash and garbage including tires, shingles, balls and washing machines from Georgia’s waterways, according to Harold Harbert, Outreach Coordinator with the Environmental Protection Division. Harbert expects Rivers Alive 2010 to involve thousands more volunteers and to continue to be the State’s and one of the South’s largest volunteer efforts to beautify water resources.

Where Does Old Carpet Go?

Remodeling your home? Installing new carpet for a customer? Are you asking yourself, “Where does old carpet go?”  The Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority answers that question in the new “How to Guide for Post-Consumer Carpet and Carpet Pad Disposal in Whitfield County”.   This short full-color guide with photos explains the step-by-step process of preparing and delivering your carpet and carpet pad to the Old Dixie Hwy. Landfill and Convenience Center for proper disposal or recycling.

Upon delivery, carpet and carpet pad are directed to the Old Dixie Materials Recovery Facility (Recycling Center) located on the same property.  The staff tests the carpet to determine if it can be sent through the recycling process.  If not, it’s set aside in a carpet balefill where it waits for other opportunities to be used as a resource.  However, most kinds of carpet are recyclable.  Depending on the face fiber, the carpet can be used to make a new product such as composite lumber, automotive parts, and carpet padding.

To prepare your carpet and carpet pad, first make sure it’s clean, dry, and free of debris.  Roll up the carpet and padding separately.  Tie the roll by using a strip of carpet from the edge of the roll.  Detailed directions and photos are laid out in the guide.  Next, take the rolls to the Old Dixie Highway Landfill & Convenience Center located at 4189 Old Dixie Highway in Dalton, GA.  Stop at the Scale House to have your vehicle weighed and be directed to the appropriate drop off area.  Finally, enjoy a 46% discount off the regular gate fee as a thank you for participating in the post-consumer carpet program.

“Where does old carpet go?” is an educational campaign to inform residents in Whitfield County about the post-consumer carpet program and it’s benefits.  The booklet-sized brochure opens up to reveal a poster that can be placed at local businesses to help spread the message about the program.  The online version of the guide does not include the poster but does contain the same basic information as the full version.  Download your copy of the guide today at www.DWSWA.org or call 706-278-5001 to request a copy by mail.

To learn more about carpet recycling visit Carpet America Recovery Effort online at www.carpetrecovery.org.  For more information about recycling in Whitfield County contact Liz Swafford, Recycling and Education Program Coordinator, at lswafford@dwswa.org.

Recycling Guide For Convenience Centers in Whitfield County Released

Recycling at Convenience Centers in Whitfield County just got easier thanks to a new recycling guide released by the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority. The new guide called “How to Guide for Recycling at Convenience Centers in Whitfield County” is available for pickup at local Convenience Centers may be downloaded online at www.DWSWA.org.

The recycling guide is filled with interesting facts about recycling, shows what types of products are accepted for recycling in Whitfield County, and reminds everyone that they can make a difference when they recycle. It’s also part of an education campaign called “Stop treating us like garbage.” which is designed to remind the public that items in their household trash can be a resource. For example, newspaper when recycled is made into more newspaper, insulation, paperboard, and egg cartons.

Convenience Centers in Whitfield County include the Old Dixie Landfill, Westside, M.L. King Blvd., and McGaughey Chapel. Each one features a Recycling Drop-off Area for newspapers and magazines, cardboard, mixed paper, plastic bottles and jugs with the #1 or #2 recycling symbol, aluminum cans, bi-metal, and glass bottles and jars that are clear, brown, green or blue.

For more information about recycling in Whitfield County contact Liz Swafford, Recycling and Education Program Coordinator, e-mail: lswafford@dwswa.org or call 706-278-5001.

Over 1 Million Pounds Recycled by City of Dalton Curbside Recycling Program

DALTON, GA -  Residents participating in the City of Dalton Curbside Recycling program collected over 1 million pounds of recyclables during the first six months of the year.  This is an 18.9% increase compared to the same time last year.  Recycling takes a product at the end of its useful life and uses all or part of it to make another product instead of more garbage.  Five plastic #1 (PET) bottles, such as water and soda bottles, yield enough fiber to make one extra large T-shirt, one square foot of carpet, or enough fiber to fill one ski jacket.

550.1 tons or 1,100,200 pounds of recyclables were collected during the months of January to June 2010 according to the City of Dalton Curbside Recycling Report produced by the Dalton-Whitfield Regional Solid Waste Authority’s Materials Recovery Facility or Recycling Center.  1,100,200 pounds are the equivalent of a stack of newspapers 5.95 miles long.  The goal for this year is 1,200 tons or 2,400,000 pounds. Products collected for recycling include paper, magazines, newspaper, cardboard, plastic bottles and jugs with the #1 or #2 recycling symbol, aluminum cans, bi-metal or tin cans, and glass bottles and jars that are clear, brown, green or blue.

Residents of the City of Dalton in single-family homes qualify for Curbside Recycling service.  Recyclables are collected in blue 18-gallon recycling bins and picked up weekly on the same day as household garbage.  For a more information visit the City of Dalton’s website, www.cityofdalton-ga.gov, click ‘Departments’ then ‘Public Works’.  If you need a Recycling Bin or a Recycling Bin Instructions Sticker, call the Public Works Department at 706-278-7077.

Residents of Whitfield County living outside of the City of Dalton also have opportunities to recycle.  All four Convenience Centers managed by the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority have Recycling Drop-off Areas that collect the same products as the Curbside Recycling program.  For locations, hours and directions visit www.dwswa.org.  For more information about recycling contact Liz Swafford, Recycling and Education Program Coordinator, at 706-278-5001.