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.

"Love it, don't trash it!" Educational Campaign Launched

One of the billboards for the new "Love it, don't trash it!" anti-litter campaign is located at S. Thornton Ave. and Cedar St. in Dalton. 

(Dalton, GA, February 10, 2016) – Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful wants you to show some love to Whitfield County by preventing litter, trash in the wrong place, starting in your own neighborhood. This month KDWB is launching a new educational campaign, titled “Love It, Don’t Trash It” aimed at providing residents with actions they can take to help prevent litter in our community. Residents can share how they’re showing our community some love on social media using the hashtag #LiveLitterFree.

Litter is a growing issue in the Dalton and Whitfield community. Fast food wrappers, cigarette butts, and bottles along the road have become the norm. Litter impacts our quality of life, destroys our town’s natural beauty, can harm or kill wildlife, diminish water quality, and even contribute to motor vehicle accidents.

Yet it’s important to recognize that litter is preventable when individuals take personal responsibility for their environment. Simple actions like keeping a plastic bag in your vehicle to collect trash, or properly closing the lid on trash carts can make a big difference.

KDWB believes that the majority of residents in Whitfield County want a clean, beautiful, and vibrant place to live. Last June the litter prevention committee invited residents to submit their anti-litter slogan ideas to be used in the new educational campaign. In August the group chose the slogan, "Love it, don't trash it!" and the hashtag #LiveLitterFree out of more than fifty entries. Both phrases were slight variations on slogans submitted by local residents Eli Miranda and Robert Fernandez.

Show Whitfield County some love - visit www.keepdaltonwhitfieldbeautiful.org, click on litter prevention, then download graphics with litter prevention tips to share on your social media sites. Use the hashtag #LiveLitterFree to see your post and what other residents are doing to prevent litter. Like the Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful page on Facebook for weekly educational posts and updates on volunteer opportunities. Together we can make Whitfield County a more vibrant place to live.

To help launch the campaign, there are two billboards posted with the campaign slogan along South Thornton Avenue and Cleveland Highway. KDWB also has bumper stickers, t-shirts, and other promotional items available for volunteers and residents. For more information about the campaign, contact Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful at 706-278-5001 or e-mail Executive Director Liz Swafford at lswafford@dwswa.org.

Live Christmas Tree and Electronics Recycling Event on January 9, 2016

Whitfield County Public Works staff prepare to mulch live Christmas trees during Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful’s annual treecycling event.  The next event will be on Saturday, January 9 from 8 am to 1 pm. 

Whitfield County residents are invited drop off live, natural Christmas trees and used electronic devices for recycling at the community’s annual Christmas Tree and Electronics Recycling event. Visitors to the event will receive a packet of herb or vegetable seeds to plant at home or another promotional item as a thank you for participating.

On Saturday, January 9, 2016 Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful volunteers will be collecting live, natural, undecorated Christmas trees, and electronic devices from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm at The Home Depot parking lot located at 875 Shugart Road in Dalton.

There is no charge for dropping off live, natural Christmas tress. Trees must be free of ornaments, nails, hooks, wire, 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. 

Please note that there is a $5.00 fee for CRT (cathode ray tube) television sets and computer monitors. However, other electronics can be dropped off for free. These devices include computer consoles, digital cameras, video cameras, cell phones, gaming systems and components, mp3 players, scanners, flat screens, eBook readers, tablets, and laptops.

Join and share the event on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1631276870458795/

Before going to the event secure your load for cleaner and safer roads. Tie down and put a tarp on items placed in the back of a pick-up truck, trailer, or on the roof of a vehicle.

If you are unable to attend there are several options available year round for recycling Christmas trees and electronic devices.  

1.) The City of Dalton Public Works Department will collect Christmas trees from the curb for city residents that have garbage collection service through the city. 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. 

3.) Electronics are collected for recycling year round only at the Old Dixie Hwy. Landfill & Convenience Center. For hours of operation and directions to any of the four Convenience Centers visit www.DWSWA.org or call 706-277-2545.

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful would like to thank the following organizations for making this event possible: Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority, Whitfield County Public Works Department, and The Home Depot in Dalton.  For more details about the event visit www.KeepDaltonWhitfieldBeautiful.org or call 706-278-5001.

11,463 Pounds of Garbage Removed From Conasauga Watershed During Volunteer Event

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Girl Scout Troop 14603 at Lakeshore Park in Dalton where volunteers helped to remove more than a ton of garbage during the 2015 river cleanup. 

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Volunteers from the Conasauga Ranger District of the US Forest Service cleaned along three creeks in their service area. 

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Whitfield County Public Works staff and volunteers at Prater’s Mill where participants removed litter along Coahulla Creek which feeds into the Conasauga River. 

(Dalton, GA, November 6, 2015) – Muddy tires, abandoned mattresses, and a lost truck cover were part of the 11,463 pounds of garbage removed by volunteers during the 21st Annual Conasauga River Watershed Cleanup Event on Saturday, October 24. The annual event took place during United Way’s “Make a Difference Day”. Three hundred sixty volunteers spent the morning removing trash, debris, and invasive plants from eleven locations in Whitfield and Murray counties.

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 in the City of Dalton. New locations this year included Al Rollins Park in Dalton, and Muskrat, Hurricane, and Stover Creeks on National Forest land in Whitfield County. 

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, even if it isn’t theirs; properly secure loads on vehicles, even when traveling short distances; take out what they take in at outdoor recreation areas; and properly dispose of tires and bulky items at an approved drop-off location. Small efforts from everyone will result in big results and a cleaner environment. 

The amount of time donated by volunteers during this year’s event, approximately 1,436 hours, is valued at $29,824. Volunteers received a t-shirt from the Rivers Alive program, and also received a hat or tumbler commemorating the event. “Thank you for all your help with this cleanup and for all you do throughout the year to make our area a better place for people and wildlife.” said Dalton State College Professor John Lugthart.

The following sponsors provided the funds needed to purchase the hats, tumblers, and t-shirts, as well as supplies, and hauled off the garbage: J+J Flooring, Shaw Industries, Dalton Utilities, Conasauga River Alliance, Modern Woodmen of America, The Nature Conservancy, Georgia's Rivers Alive, Christian Heritage School, 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, Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority, Keep Chatsworth-Murray Beautiful, Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful, Limestone Valley RC & D, The Nature Conservancy, 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, 5,809 volunteers have participated in 112 clean-up events through out the state and have removed 133,025 pounds of garbage from Georgia waterways. For more information about efforts in other areas or the statewide campaign visit www.RiversAlive.org.

Additional photos from participants may be found on the event's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/628445717298103/