“I Recycle. Do You?” Artwork Wins Spot On Two Billboards

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Dalton Middle School 7th grader, Joel Paez, is the overall winner of the 2011 America Recycles Day Billboard Design Contest hosted by the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority’s program Target Recycling.  

Dalton Middle School 7th grader, Joel Paez, is the overall winner of the 2011 America Recycles Day Billboard Design Contest hosted by the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority’s program Target Recycling.  

Winner of the 2011 America Recycles Day Billboard Contest Announced

DALTON, GA – Dalton Middle School 7th grader, Joel Paez, is the overall winner of the 2011 America Recycles Day Billboard Design Contest hosted by the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority’s program Target Recycling.  The contest was open to Whitfield County middle school students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade.  The artwork, chosen from 105 entries, includes the phrase, “I Recycle. Do You?” in green letters and shows a young boy picking up an item to recycle.  The design will be displayed for on two billboards in the Whitfield County area for at least one month.

Besides the overall winner, the contest also had a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winner from each grade level.  The nine students, listed below, received an America Recycles Day t-shirt that says “I recycle”, items made from recycled products, and a certificate of participation.  (Their entries are shown at the end of this post.)

Liz Swafford, Recycling and Education Program Coordinator at the DWSWA said, “This is the second year for this contest and we were very pleased with the quality of the entries.  Students did a great job in designing a billboard with one of three recycling themes.  America Recycles Day is on November 15 every year so we look forward to hosting this contest again next fall for local middle schoolers.”  To learn how you can recycle too, visitwww.DWSWA.org or call 706-278-5001.

Celebrate America Recycles Day 2011

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Celebrate America Recycles Day this year in Whitfield County at one of our events organized in conjunction with Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful.   America Recycles Day is the only nationally recognized day dedicated to the promotion of recycling in the United States. One day to educate and motivate. One day to get our neighbors, friends and community leaders excited about what can be accomplished when we all work together. One day to make recycling bigger and better 365 days a year. Get involved!

AMERICA RECYCLES DAY AT WALMART FEATURING RECYCLING BEN

Location: Walmart Super Center, 815 Shugart Road, Dalton, GA 30720

Date: Nov. 12, 2011

Time: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Event Description: Visit the America Recycles Day booth at the front of the store to learn about the recycling services available in Whitfield County. Take a photo with our mascot, Recycling Ben. Take the pledge to recycle this year with volunteers who are passionate about recycling. Take a look at all the different products you can recycle and see how easy it is to make a positive impact in the community.   For more information call the recycling center at 706-278-5001.

CITY OF VARNELL RECYCLING AREA KICK-OFF DAY

Location: City of Varnell Recycling Area, Corner of Kinnamon and Main St., Varnell, GA 30756

Date: Nov. 15, 2011

Time: 3 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Event Description: Kick off event for residents in the City of Varnell, Georgia. Join Recycling Ben at the Recycling Area on the Corner of Kinnamon and Main Street to learn about the new recycling area. 
Bring one recyclable item to recycle in the new containers and receive a free item made from recycled materials or featuring the "I recycle" logo. 
Items that are recyclable at this location are: plastic bottles or jugs (any color), aluminum beverage cans, or paper (cardboard, newspaper, etc.).

Find other events in our area at http://americarecyclesday.org/join-event?zip=30720

 

Billboard Design Contest Entries Due Friday

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Deadline for Entries is Friday, November 11

DALTON, GA – Recycling Ben, mascot for the Target Recycling Program, and the recycling team at the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority are delighted to announce the 2nd Annual America Recycles Day Billboard Design Contest.  The art contest is for students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade in Whitfield County schools that recycle with Target Recycling.  Middle Schoolers are asked to design artwork for a billboard with a recycling theme in keeping with America Recycles Day that is celebrated on November 15.  The winning design will be displayed for at least four weeks on two billboards in Whitfield County.

During the inaugural competition in 2010, Dalton Middle School 7th grader, Esmeralda Perez won first place overall.  Her billboard design simply stated “I Will Recycle” and included the America Recycles Day slogan, “I Recycle”.  The suggested billboard themes for the 2011 contest are, “Let’s Target Recycling Together”, “I Recycle. Do You?” and “Recycle, it’s the natural thing to do.”

The following schools are invited to participate: 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.  Deadline for entries has been extended to Friday, November 11, 2011.  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.

Winners this year will be announced on November 15th during the Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful board meeting.  Download the Contest Guide with the entry form visit the Recycling at School page at www.DWSWA.org.  For more information contact Liz Swafford, Recycling and Education Program Coordinator, at 706-278-5001 or e-mail: lswafford@dwswa.org.

 

Rechargeable Battery Recycling Available

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Liz and Recycling Ben invite you to look for the silver bucket at a local Convenience Center to drop off your rechargeable batteries for recycling.

Liz and Recycling Ben invite you to look for the silver bucket at a local Convenience Center to drop off your rechargeable batteries for recycling.

Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority Joins Nationwide Call2Recycle Program to Recycle Used Rechargeable Batteries

DALTON, GA - The Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority has partnered with Call2Recycle® to make convenient battery recycling available to residents in Whitfield County.  The only free rechargeable battery collection program in North America, Call2Recycle helps communities of all sizes operate rechargeable battery collection programs.

Rechargeable batteries come in all shapes and sizes.  Look for the RBRC Battery Recycling Seals to identify the recyclable ones. 

Rechargeable batteries come in all shapes and sizes.  Look for the RBRC Battery Recycling Seals to identify the recyclable ones. 

“Whitfield County is joining thousands of communities across the county in protecting the environment by providing residents with an environmentally responsible way to safely dispose of used batteries,” said Carl Smith, president and CEO of Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC), the non-profit that operates Call2Recycle. “Participating in a battery recycling program is one important way communities can make themselves healthier, safer and more sustainable.”

Rechargeable batteries are a long-lasting, eco-friendly power source for many electronic devices, including laptop computers, cell phones, cordless phones, digital cameras, cordless power tools, and two-way radios.  Each rechargeable battery is stamped with the RBRC recycle seal indicating it should be taken to a collection site to be recycled.  Precious metals recovered from used batteries create new batteries, and stainless steel products. (Pictured below are samples of batteries and the recycle seals.)

Four Convenience Centers in the county will serve as collection sites for rechargeable batteries starting Saturday, October 15.  Look for the silver bucket in the lead acid battery recycling section, or ask an attendant for assistance. (Silver bucket is pictured above.)  Locations include the Household Hazardous Waste Facility at the Old Dixie Hwy. Landfill and Convenience Center location at the south end of the county; M.L. King Blvd. Convenience Center in Dalton; McGaughey Chapel Convenience Center in Cohutta; and Westside Convenience Center in Rocky Face.  For specific hours of operation and directions visit www.DWSWA.org and click on Convenience Centers or call the Recycling Center at 706-278-5001.

Since 1996, more than 60 million pounds of rechargeable batteries have been collected through Call2Recycle. It’s the first battery program committed to attain Basel Action Network (BAN) e-Steward qualification and upholds strict third-party standards for environmental safety and social responsibility.  Learn more at www.call2recycle.org or 1.877.2.RECYCLE.

 

17th Annual Conasauga Watershed Clean-Up

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DALTON, GA - Be part of the tradition on Saturday, October 22nd, when you join local volunteers in cleaning up the Conasauga Watershed’s river and streams.  One of the six most biologically diverse freshwater river systems in the United States, the Conasauga River supports 24 endangered species and a dozen other imperiled species, including the Southern Pigtoe mussel and the Conasauga log perch, a fish found nowhere else in the world.

Registration opens at 9 am at six clean up sites in Whitfield County and Murray County.  Choose a site and enjoy some muddy merriment as you help care for our area’s beautiful streams and river!  This year includes more accessibility for canoeists who will be able to clean the river while on a four-hour float.

This year’s clean-up will take place these six locations:

1. Conasauga River at Carlton Petty Road Bridge

2. Conasauga River at Highway 2 bridge*

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

* Canoeists can put in at the Highway 2 bridge & take out at Lower King’s/Norton bridge, about a 4 hour float.

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 will be provided and at least the first 200 volunteers will receive a free shirt or other gift.  The event is held in conjunction with Northwest Georgia United Way’s Make A Difference Day and Georgia’s Annual Waterway Clean-Up, Rivers Alive.

To download the event flyer with directions, visitwww.KeepDaltonWhitfieldBeautiful.org.  Pre-registration is not required.  For additional information, please contact John Lugthart at jlugthart@daltonstate.edu.  For more information about efforts in other areas or the statewide campaign, go to www.RiversAlive.org.

SPONSORS:    Shaw Industries, Dalton Utilities, Mohawk Industries, Dalton-Whitfield Regional Solid Waste Management Authority (DWSWA), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and the Conasauga River Alliance (CRA)

COORDINATORS:  Carpet & Rug Institute, CRA, Dalton State College, Dalton Utilities, DWRSWMA, Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful, TNC and Murray County Extension.