Magic of Recycling at Local Schools

The garbage monster makes a surprise appearance in the trash can held by magician Greg Allen during a special performance of the Magic of Recycling show at Pleasant Grove Elementary School on Friday, November 11.

Students look on as a rolled-up newspaper magically transforms back into a tree during the Magic of Recycling show with magician Greg Allen. The program was hosted at Pleasant Grove Elementary and six other local schools during the week of November 7.

Students enjoy a magical learning experience

(Dalton, GA, November 21, 2016) – During the week of November 7 students from seven elementary schools hosted professional magician Greg Allen for a special performance of the “Magic of Recycling”. The educational magic show brings the concept of recycling and landfills to life during an interactive 40-minute program that includes magic tricks and audience participation.

The program was sponsored by Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful’s recycling committee and the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority’s recycling center in honor of America Recycles Day which is celebrated on November 15. During the month of November you can take the pledge to recycle and learn more about recycling online at www.americarecyclesday.org.

Antioch, Cedar Ridge, Brookwood, Pleasant Grove, Dawnville, Westwood, and Dug Gap Elementary school hosted either one or two performances for students from Kinder to 5th grade for a total of 12 shows. Local schools currently recycle mixed paper, cardboard, and select beverage containers with the Authority’s recycling collection program Target Recycling at School.

Recycling was shown as a way to use things again and again conserving natural resources, and saving landfill space in the process. During the program students saw a glass bottle transform into a new glass bottle, witnessed a telephone book be recycled into a new one, and more. Students enjoyed watching the show while learning about the transformative power of recycling.

Volunteers Remove Litter from Conasauga Watershed During Make a Difference Day

Girl Scout Troop 14603 was at Lakeshore Park in Dalton where volunteers helped to remove more than two-thousand pounds of garbage during the river cleanup.

Dalton State College students and more than 60 volunteers removed litter from Lakeshore Park on Saturday, October 22 during the annual Conasauga River Watershed Cleanup.

Volunteers at Mill Creek Tributary and Underwood Apartments in Dalton removed more than two-thousand pounds of litter and illegally dumped tires from the watershed during Make a Difference Day.

Pictured are only a few of the 35 volunteers that helped to remove litter at Holly Creek in Murray County during the 2016 Conasauga River Watershed Cleanup event.

(Dalton, GA, November 21, 2016) – Used tires, litter, a car bumper, and an illegally dumped mattress were part of the 10,672 pounds of garbage removed by volunteers during the 22st Annual Conasauga River Watershed Cleanup Event on Saturday, October 22. The annual event took place during United Way’s “Make a Difference Day”.

Two-hundred and ninety-nine volunteers spent the morning removing trash, debris, and invasive plants from eleven locations in Whitfield and Murray counties. The amount of time donated by volunteers during this year’s event, approximately 1,196 hours, is valued at $25,714. “Volunteers that come out and participate are of all ages and walks of life so it is a wonderful opportunity to get to know other people while doing a service for your community.” Said Amelia Atwell, an event participant.

Sites included in this year’s event were the Conasauga River at Carlton Petty Road Bridge, at Highway 2 bridge, and at Lower King’s Bridge and Norton Bridge. Also, Holly Creek in Murray County on the Chattahoochee National Forest, the Mill Creek tributary in the City of Dalton, Coahulla Creek at Prater’s Mill, and Lakeshore Park and Al Rollins Park in the City of Dalton.

Garbage found at each site was the result illegal dumping, irresponsible abandonment after using a site, or accidental loss of items from a vehicle with an unsecured load. Event participants encourage the public to pickup litter when they see it; properly secure loads on vehicles; take out what they take in at outdoor recreation areas; and properly dispose of tires and bulky items at an approved drop-off location.

“Be a good example for your children and others around you. If you see trash pick it up. If you see someone else throw out trash, ask them to pick it up.” Added Shell Underwood, longtime volunteer. Small efforts from everyone will result in a cleaner, healthier, and more beautiful environment. 

The following sponsors provided the funds needed to purchase t-shirts for volunteers, cleanup supplies, and hauled off the garbage: J+J Flooring Group, Shaw Industries, Dalton Utilities, Conasauga River Alliance, The Nature Conservancy, Georgia's Rivers Alive, Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority, and Whitfield County Public Works.

Also, the following organizations helped coordinated the event: Conasauga River Alliance, Dalton State College, Dalton Utilities, Keep Chatsworth-Murray Beautiful, Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful, Limestone Valley RC & D, and Whitfield and Murray County Extension.

The Conasauga River, one of the six most biologically diverse freshwater river systems in the United States, supports twenty-four endangered species and a dozen other imperiled species, including the Southern Pigtoe mussel and the Conasauga logperch, a fish found nowhere else in the world.

The Conasauga Watershed Clean-up has long been a participant of Rivers Alive, one of the South’s largest volunteer efforts to beautify water resources. So far this year, 8,259 volunteers have participated in 126 clean-up events through out the state and have removed 335,949 pounds of garbage from 629 miles of Georgia waterways. For more information about efforts in other areas or the statewide campaign visit www.RiversAlive.org.

Closed Thursday, November 24 in Observance of Thanksgiving Day

Landfill, Convenience Centers To Be Closed Thursday, November 24

Facilities closed in observance of Thanksgiving Day

The Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority has announced the holiday hours of operation for it’s four facilities in Whitfield County. Locations include the Old Dixie Landfill & Convenience Center, McGaughey Chapel Convenience Center in Cohutta, Westside Convenience Center in Rocky Face, and the M.L. King Convenience Center in Dalton. 

All locations will be open from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm on Wednesday, November 23 including the McGaughey Chapel location that is normally closed on Wednesdays. All four sites will be closed on Thursday, November 24 in observance of Thanksgiving Day. All locations will reopen on Friday, November 24 from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm and resume normal hours.

For more information visit www.DWSWA.org or call 706-277-2545.

 

Thanksgiving Day Holiday Schedule:

• Wednesday, November 23, 2016 – All Locations OPEN -

EARLY CLOSING: 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM

(McGaughey Chapel Normally Closed)

• Thursday, November 24, 2016 – All Locations CLOSED – Thanksgiving Day

• Friday, November 25, 2016 – All Locations OPEN –

7:00 AM to 6:00 PM

(Resume Normal Schedule)

Verhoeff to head Solid Waste Authority

Published in The Daily Citizen on October 27, 2016: 

http://www.daltondailycitizen.com/news/local_news/verhoeff-to-head-solid-waste-authority/article_2c9d91c2-9775-575e-86bd-801d92e3f931.html

By Charles Oliver   charlesoliver@daltoncitizen.com

Photo by Matt Hamilton, The Daily Citizen

Dirk Verhoeff, interim director of the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority, was recently named the sole finalist for the post of director. The authority's board is expected to finalize his appointment in November. 

Dirk Verhoeff says becoming director of the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority has been "a professional and personal goal of mine" for several years.

Verhoeff has worked for the authority for nine years as environmental manager and project manager and has been interim director since shortly after director Norman Barashick announced his retirement after more than 20 years with the authority in May. And earlier this month, the authority's board named Verhoeff the sole finalist to be the authority's next director.

Authority employees are legally employees of the city of Dalton. Dalton Human Resources Director Greg Batts said Verhoeff's salary has not been finalized. He said ads for the job did not specify a salary but Barashick was earning about $90,000 a year.

"It was an easy choice," said Whitfield County Board of Commissioners Chairman Mike Babb, who is on the authority board. "Dirk has regularly reported to us during our meetings, and he came highly recommended by Norman. We felt that we had a good employee who had been there for several years and had taken on increasing responsibility during that time, and we thought that we need to encourage and reward that sort of employee."

Verhoeff has a bachelor of science degree in environmental engineering from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

"As environmental manager, I've been responsible for all the regulatory compliance and reporting that goes along with operating a solid waste facility," he said. "We have permits with the state and the feds. There's a lot of monitoring and reporting that goes along with that."

"And on the project management side, when I started, they had just started the landfill natural gas collection system, so I have managed that from day one," he said.

As director, he will be responsible for the budget and financial side as well.

The authority has an annual budget of about $5 million.

"We are an enterprise fund, so all of our revenues come from the customers who use our services," he said.

The authority has 36 full-time employees and three part-time employees. It operates the landfill on the south end of the county and convenience centers on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Dalton, McGaughey Chapel Road in Cohutta and Miracle Drive in Westside. It also oversees and monitors the closed landfill in Westside.

Verhoeff says he doesn't foresee any major changes at the authority.

"We've got staff who have been here 20, 25 years. Everything runs very well, so I don't see any need for change, at least not right now," he said.

"I'm rooted in the community. My wife is a Dalton native. We have two children, and I'm really excited about this opportunity," he said.

Billboard Design Winner for 2016 Contest Announced

The winning billboard design by Madison Powell will be placed at two locations in Whitfield County during the month of November in celebration of America Recycles Day.

Valley Point Middle School 8th graders placed in the America Recycles Day Billboard Design Contest for 2016. From left to right: Madison Powell, 1st place and 1st place overall; Eliezer Vasquez, 2nd place.

Pictured are students from Eastbrook Middle who each placed 3rd in their grade level in the America Recycles Day Billboard Design Contest for 2016. From left to right: Jazmine Ayabar, 6th grade; Melissa Trujillo, 7th grade; Elena Cabero, 8th grade. 

Valley Point Middle School 7th graders placed in the America Recycles Day Billboard Design Contest for 2016. From left to right: Camy Rettew, 1st place; Dania Cristobal, 2nd place. 

Valley Point Middle School 6th graders placed in the America Recycles Day Billboard Design Contest for 2016. From left to right: Macey Cook, 2nd place; Lily Woodring, 1st place. 

Valley Point Middle School 8th grader, Madison Powell, is the overall winner of the 2016 America Recycles Day Billboard Design Contest hosted by the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority’s program Target Recycling at School. The winning design will be displayed on two billboards in Whitfield County along Glenwood Ave. during the month of November.

Ms. Powell’s design, which was chosen out of 91 entries, includes the phrase “I want to be recycled” one of the themes of the contest. The artwork shows an aluminum beverage can dreaming about being recycled into a space ship or rocket. Materials that are recycled are used to manufacture a variety of products. Aluminum for example may be recycled into beverage cans, construction materials, or parts for new vehicles.   

The billboard design contest, now in its seventh year, has a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winner from each grade level which includes 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. The nine winners, listed below, received a certificate of participation and a gift bag with items made from recycled materials. The first place overall, who is the winner of the billboard, was selected from the first place design from each grade level.

6th grade:

• 1st Place – Lily Woodring, Valley Point Middle School
• 2nd Place – Macey Cook, Valley Point Middle School
• 3rd Place – Jazmine Ayabar, Eastbrook Middle School

7th grade:

• 1st Place – Camy Rettew, Valley Point Middle School
• 2nd Place – Dania Cristobal, Valley Point Middle School
• 3rd Place – Melissa Trujillo, Valley Point Middle School 

8th grade:

• 1st Place and Overall Winner – Madison Powell, Valley Point Middle School
• 2nd Place – Eliezer Vasquez, Valley Point Middle School
• 3rd Place – Elena Cabero, Eastbrook Middle School

Target Recycling at School provides recycling collection services and environmental education opportunities to schools in Whitfield County. For more information call 706-278-5001 or visit www.dwswa.org.

America Recycles Day is a community-driven event dedicated to promoting recycling awareness, commitment, and action in the U.S. thru its partnership with Keep America Beautiful. It’s celebrated annually on November 15. For more information on recycling, and to take the pledge to recycle visit www.AmericaRecyclesDay.org.