America Recycles Day Billboard Contest Announced for Fall 2019

2018'S WINNER, ALICIA MARTINEZ'S COLORFUL AND DETAILED BILLBOARD. 

The Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority is pleased to announce the 10th Annual America Recycles Day Billboard Contest for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders attending public or private schools participating in the Target Recycling at School program in Whitfield County. 

Students are invited to design a billboard in keeping with the spirit of America Recycles Day, which is celebrated yearly on November 15. The top design out of the three grade levels will be displayed during the month of November on two billboards in Whitfield County.

Schools in Whitfield County eligible to participate include Eastbrook Middle, New Hope Middle, North Whitfield Middle, Valley Point Middle, Westside Middle, Dalton Middle, Northstar School, Crossroads Academy, Christian Heritage School, and Learning Tree School.

During the 2018 contest, Valley Point Middle School 6th grader, Alicia Martinez , won first place overall. Her design includes the phrase, “I want to be recycled!” which was one of the themes of the contest. The artwork is detailed, neat, and very colorful showing recyclables lining up to begin the recycling process.

(See previous winning billboard designs here.)

Themes for this year are, “I recycle. Do you?!” and “I recycle with Recycling Ben!” First, second, and third place prizes will be given in each of the three grade levels. The grand prize is chosen from the three first-place winners. 

The Contest Guide with two versions of the official entry form can be downloaded at www.DWSWA.org. The deadline for entries is October 14, 2019. 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 will be announced on October 21. 

For more information contact Amy Hartline, Recycling and Education Program Coordinator, at 706-278-5001 or e-mail: ahartline@dwswa.org. To learn more about America Recycles Day visit www.americarecyclesday.org.

MLK Convenience Center Closed August 21st

The M.L.K. Convenience Center will be closed for maintenance on Wednesday, August 21, 2019. It will re-open and resume the regular schedule on Thursday, August 22, 2019. Visit http://www.dwswa.org/conveniencecenters for alternate locations.

Landfill, Convenience Centers Closed on July 4

Landfill, Convenience Centers Closed on July 4

Facilities closed in observance of Independence Day

(Dalton, GA, June 20, 2019) –  Four Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority facilities will be closed on Thursday, July 4, 2019 in observance of Independence Day. Locations include the Old Dixie Landfill & Convenience Center, McGaughey Chapel Convenience Center, Westside Convenience Center, and the M.L. King Convenience Center. 

All locations will be open on Friday, July 5, 2019 from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm.  For more information visit www.DWSWA.org or call 706-277-2545.

Independence Day Holiday Schedule:

 Tuesday, July 2, 2019 – All Locations Open Except for Westside (7:00 am – 6:00 pm) (Westside Normally Closed)

Wednesday, July 3, 2019 – All Locations Open (7:00 am – 6:00 pm) (McGaughey Chapel Normally Closed)

Thursday, July 4, 2019 – All Locations Closed

Friday, July 5, 2019 – All Locations Open (7:00 am – 6:00 pm)

Whitfield County Schools Win National Recycling Award

School is out for the summer and this year Whitfield County Schools ended the year by winning the Keep America Beautiful Recycle-Bowl competition in the community division. The Keep America Beautiful Recycle-Bowl is a national recycling competition for K-12 students, teacher, and school communities. Recycling rates are weighed and calculated for four weeks in the fall to determine the winners of 5 divisions. The community division means that the schools accept recycling from students and others within the community. This year’s Recycle-Bowl had more than 260,000 students and teachers participate and a total of 1.3 million pounds collected for recycling.

Whitfield County Schools collected a total of 31,010 pounds of recyclables during the Recycle Bowl. That’s the weight equivalent of 1,550 car tires or 87 black bears. The Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste program provides the cans for the recycling to be collected and collects the recycling each week completely for free. The DWSWA also provides educational opportunities as class visits or field trips to the recycling center with activities from a licensed educator for free. Many of the Whitfield County Schools take advantage of these opportunities to help educate their students on becoming good global citizens.

Karey Williams, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning for Whitfield County Schools and Chair of Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful supports the values taught by recycling and encourages the community to participate, "The Whitfield County School System is proud to support the recycling efforts of our community.  The students in our schools are excited to participate in efforts to keep our environment clean and healthy because they know the work is so important for the future of the planet."

While DWSWA maintains pickups, each school handles their in-school collection in a different way that is created to best suit their needs. Some have an afterschool team, or specific class in charge, and some have a particularly passionate teacher that helps encourage recycling such as Kali Tomlinson at Valley Point Middle School. She works with her students all year to help them learn what happens to recycling and increase parent engagement.

Schools that participate in past Recycle-Bowl competitions have been measured as recycling 10 percent more than schools that don’t participate. Recyclables recovered during the competition in 2018 prevented the release of 1,842.68 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. This reduction in greenhouse gases is equivalent to 4.5 million miles driven by an average passenger vehicle and 643 tons of material recycled instead of landfilled.

“It’s always exciting to see students from across the country, and from all age groups, get excited about recycling at school as well as at home or on the go,” said Keep America Beautiful Youth and Education Program Manager Kathryn Joblon in a statement. The Whitfield County students of 2018-2019 have shown the nation their commitment to making a difference through recycling.

Submitted by Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful

Landfill, Convenience Centers To Be Closed Monday, May 27 in observance of Memorial Day

Landfill, Convenience Centers To Be Closed Monday, May 27 in observance of Memorial Day

Landfill, Convenience Centers To Be Closed Monday, May 27th in observance of Memorial Day

Four Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority facilities will be closed on Monday, May 27, 2019 in observance of Memorial Day.

Locations include:
Old Dixie Landfill & Convenience Center,

McGaughey Chapel Convenience Center,

Westside Convenience Center, and the

M.L. King Convenience Center.

All locations will reopen on Tuesday, May 28, 2018 from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm. For more information visit www.DWSWA.org or call 706-277-2545.

Memorial Day Holiday Schedule:

Saturday, May 25, 2019 - All Locations Open - Normal Hours (7am – 3pm)

Monday, May 27, 2019 – All Locations Closed

Tuesday, May 28, 2019 – All Locations Open (7am – 6pm) (Westside Normally Closed)

Wednesday, May 29, 2019 – Resume Normal Operating Days and Hours (McGaughey Chapel Closed)