Live Christmas Tree Recycling on January 7, 2012

DALTON, GA -  On Saturday, January 7, 2012 Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful volunteers will be collecting live, natural, undecorated Christmas trees from residents for “treecycling”.  The free event will be held from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm at the Home Depot parking lot located at 875 Shugart Road in Dalton.

(Click here or on the logo to download the event flier!)

Christmas trees must be free of ornaments, nails, hooks, wires, tinsel, lights, and other decorations.  Only natural, live, real trees will be accepted - no artificial trees please.  Trees will be recycled on site into mulch that will be used for beautification projects throughout Whitfield County.  In exchange for dropping off their live Christmas tree for recycling residents will receive a free seedling or packet of seeds to plant at home.

Statewide over 5.7 million trees have been recycled into mulch or habitats for wildlife since the beginning of the program in 1991.  During the 2011 event 309 collection sites throughout the state of Georgia recycled 161,319 Christmas trees with the help of 6,395 volunteers.

If local residents cannot participate the day of the event, there are two additional options available.

1.) The City of Dalton Public Works Department will collect Christmas trees from the curb.  City residents should call 706-278-7077 to request pick-up.  Yard debris is regularly picked up throughout the year every other week.

2.) The four Convenience Centers managed by the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority have drop-off areas for yard debris that is recycled year round.  These include the McGaughey Chapel, M.L.King Blvd., Westside, and the Old Dixie Hwy. Landfill & Convenience Center.  For hours of operation and directions visit www.DWSWA.org or call 706-277-2545.

For more details about the event visit www.KeepDaltonWhitfieldBeautiful.org or call 706-278-5001.

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful would like to thank state and local sponsors for making this event possible.  State sponsors include the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation, Earth911.com, The Home Depot, The Davey Tree Expert Company, Ferry-Morse Seed Co., and 11 Alive – Atlanta’s NBC Affiliate.  Local sponsors include Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority, Whitfield County - Georgia Forestry Commission, Whitfield County Public Works Department, and The Home Depot in Dalton.

Over 2,294,200 Lbs. Recycled This Year

A load of mixed paper is dropped off at the Recycling Center by a City of Dalton Curbside Recycling truck.  Mixed paper is recycled to make a variety of goods that range from restaurant napkins to paperboard boxes for pre-packaged food.

City of Dalton Curbside Recycling Program Nears Goal of 1,200 Tons

DALTON, GA – According to the Curbside Recycling Report produced by the Dalton-Whitfield Regional Solid Waste Authority, during the months of January to November 2011 residents participating in the City of Dalton’s Curbside Recycling Program collected 1,147.1 tons or 2,294,200 pounds of recyclables.  It’s 312,000 pounds more than they had collected during the same period last year, producing an overall 15% increase in recycling compared to 2010.

Public Works Director, Benny Dunn, said, “Dalton residents are doing an outstanding job.  Thanks for recycling, and please remember to encourage your neighbors to recycle.  You truly can make a difference.”  During the month of December residents are expected to easily reach the goal of collecting 1,200 tons or 2,400,000 pounds of recyclables for the year.

Residents of the City of Dalton in single-family homes of three units or less that have garbage pickup through the city 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 more information, such as recycling instructions, 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.

Items collected for recycling in the city include plastic bottles and jugs, glass bottles and jars, aluminum beverage cans, bi-metal cans, cardboard, newspaper, and other mixed paper.  Recyclables are collected by the Public Works Department, and then delivered to the Solid Waste Authority's Recycling Center for processing.  Recycling takes a product at the end of its useful life and uses all or part of it to make a new product.  Benefits of recycling include conserving natural resources and saving energy during the manufacturing process. For example, 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.

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

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.

Overall Winner:

Joel Paez, Dalton Middle School

6th grade / 1st Place

Olivia Ross, Dalton Middle School

6th Grade / 2nd Place

Abigail Alvarez, Dalton Middle School

6th Grade / 3rd Place

Nashae Gibson, Dalton Middle School

7th Grade / 1st Place

Joel Paez, Dalton Middle School

7th Grade / 2nd Place

Marcos Martinez, Dalton Middle School

7th Grade / 3rd Place

Esmeralda Cisneros, Dalton Middle School

8th Grade / 1st Place

Shelbi Bryant, Eastbrook Middle School

8th Grade / 2nd Place

Valeria Trujillo, Dalton Middle School

8th Grade / 3rd Place

Alex Herrera, Eastbrook Middle School

Celebrate America Recycles Day 2011

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

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.