Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful Receives Inaugural Governor’s Circle Recognition Award

Representatives from Keep America Beautiful affiliates from across the state of Georgia gathered at the State Capitol to receive the inaugural Governor's Circle Recognition Award. 

Atlanta, GA – Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful received the Governor’s Circle Award on December 9, 2013. These inaugural, statewide awards were presented by Gov. Nathan Deal at the State Capitol as part of the Keep Georgia Beautiful Fall Conference.

Created by the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation in honor of its 35th Anniversary; The Governor’s Circle Award recognizes exemplary performance by certified affiliates in reducing litter, minimizing waste and greening local communities. To qualify for the Governor’s Circle Award, affiliates must be in good standing with Keep America Beautiful; conducting an annual Litter Index, calculating the affiliate’s cost/benefit ratio and engaging volunteers to take greater responsibility for their community environment. Additionally, the affiliate must be an active member of the Georgia network.

“The affiliates receiving the Governor’s Circle Award represent the best of community improvement efforts”, said Sarah Visser, Executive Director of the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation, “they are doing the hard work every day to keep their communities economically vibrant and environmentally sustainable”.

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful, also known as the Clean and Beautiful Commission, was established in 1989 and became an affiliate in 1991.  Board members and volunteers focus on activities that promote litter prevention, beautification, waste reduction, and recycling.  Annual events include Christmas Tree and Electronics Recycling in January, Community Planting Day, Adopt-a-Mile cleanups, participation in local Earth Day events, and the Conasauga Watershed Cleanup, among others.

“I would like to thank all of our amazing board members, volunteers, and community partners for making the work of Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful possible.” said Liz Swafford, Executive Director of Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful.  “With their commitment and support our local affiliate has continued to grow and expand it’s range of activities and continue to make a positive impact in the community.”

Those interested in volunteering should visit www.keepdaltonwhitfieldbeautiful.org, or call 706-226-6211. 

Georgia is the first state in the Keep America Beautiful (KAB) network to create a Governor’s Circle Award modeled on KAB’s national good standing designation.

About Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation (KGBF):  Created in 1978 by Governor George Busbee, Keep Georgia Beautiful (KGB), became the first state affiliate of Keep America Beautiful.  In 2011, the Keep Georgia Beautiful program merged with the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation, Inc. which was created in 1985 to promote private sector financial support for worthwhile educational programs that enhance the environment and the quality of life in Georgia. KGBF coordinates a number of environmental efforts including the Great American Cleanup™ and the statewide Bring One for the Chipper Christmas tree recycling program.  The Foundation is based on a fundamental premise that the environmental interests of the state of Georgia and the people who live here are best served when public and private interests work hand-in-hand to achieve common goals. Our connections with the public and private sectors aid us in our mission to support local Keep Georgia Beautiful affiliates as they build and sustainable communities through litter prevention, waste reduction, recycling, water resource management and community greening.  For more information about the KGB Foundation, please visit www.keepgeorgiabeautiful.org or call the office at (404) 679-4910.

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Media inquiries may be directed to Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation, Executive Director, Sarah Visser at (404) 679-4910 (office) or sarah.visser@kgbf.org. {C}

Electronic waste piling up

The Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority's electronics recycling program was featured in a story by the Chattanooga Times Free Press on January 20, 2011. To read the whole story click here: Electronic Waste Piling Up

Whitfield County and Dalton, Ga., have collected e-scrap since the county collected 13.4 tons in its first drop-off event in February 2008, said Liz Swafford with the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority.

In 2010, the waste authority collected 12.66 tons of e-scrap for recycling — equivalent to the weight of 10 compact cars, Swafford said.

Electronics recycling is available year round at the Old Dixie Hwy. Landfill and Convenience Center location only. Please see the on site attendant for assistance.

Orphan Dalton roads need adoptive caretakers

Story in the Chattanooga Times Free Press: http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2010/mar/18/orphan-dalton-roads-need-adoptive-caretakers/ 

Written By: Kelly Jackson

DALTON, Ga. -- Starting in the 1990s, Adopt-a-Mile volunteers kept as many as 50 miles in Whitfield County clean. But now, far fewer roads have doting volunteers.

In 2009, volunteers cared for about 10 miles. So far in 2010, only four miles have been officially adopted. But Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful is pushing for more.

"(The program's) just been neglected, and we're just really trying to revitalize (it)," said Liz Swafford, executive director of Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful.

Ms. Swafford said the program improves the environment and people are less likely to dump trash on clean roadways.

"Litter cleanups are preventative, and it's just a huge benefit to everybody," she said.

Volunteers are asked to clean litter from their mile at least four times a year. Participants get an Adopt-A-Mile sign on their stretch of roadway. Participation is free.

Danny Welch, corporate environmental health and safety manager for Textile Rubber and Chemical Co., said employees clean the road in front of the business on Connector 3 from its intersection with Highway 41 to Interstate 75.

Employees usually collect six to eight large trash bags on a cleanup day, he said. It gives them a "sense of accomplishment and community pride," he said.

HOW TO ADOPT

Visit the following link or call 706-226-6211

Denise Wood, a board member with Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful, said members hope not only to gain new participants but to re-energize some who were active in the past.

"We just want to get people back on board," she said. "Litter is a big problem."

Dalton Exceeds 1,000 Tons In Recyclables

Posted by The Chattanoogan.com on March 2, 2010 in the Happenings section.  Submitted by the DWSWA.

City of Dalton residents collected 1,010.9 tons or 2,021,800 pounds of recyclables in 2009, exceeding the 1,000 tons goal set for the city of Dalton Curbside Recycling program in the fall of 2008. The 2,021,800 pounds of recyclables are the equivalent of a stack of newspapers 11 miles high.

The Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority staff, Norman Barashick, executive director; Liz Swafford, Recycling and Education Program coordinator; and mascot Recycling Ben recognized residents during the Monday City Council Meeting at City Hall.  

Mayor Pennington and Councilwoman Wood accepted the award on behalf of the residents. Public Works Director Benny Dunn accepted the award on behalf of the Public Works Department. The drivers of the curbside recycling trucks, Dwayne Carvelle, Glen Gambrell and Derek Bagley, were also recognized for being the ones that get the job done on a daily basis. It’s estimated that together they handle more than 4,000 recycling bins per week. 

This is the first time in the last five years that Dalton has exceeded the city of Rome, which has a similar population, in the collection of curbside recycling. Curbside recycling in Dalton serves 7,500 households with a participation rate of 37.4%, an increase from 30% in 2008. In 2009 Public Works distributed an additional 705 blue bins in the community. In addition the city improved its bottom line by more $32,000 from avoided landfill disposal fees and revenue sharing. 

The city of Dalton’s Curbside Recycling program began in 1991. 2009 marked 18 years of environmental stewardship through recycling. Today, the city of Dalton provides one of the few curbside recycling programs in Northwest Georgia. 

In 2003 the Curbside Recycling program began delivering its recyclable materials for processing to the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority. The Authority operates a Materials Recovery Facility or recycling center at the Old Dixie Landfill which sorts, processes, and markets the materials. Since that time, the amount of recyclables collected by residents has almost doubled. 

Recycling reduces waste and pollution, saves energy, protects natural resources and environment, and is good for the economy, officials said. Many companies in Georgia, including local carpet manufacturers, rely on recycling programs to provide the raw materials they need to make new products. 

To receive another bin call the Public Works Department at 706 278-7077. If residents have more than one bin, they should put the fiber materials, such as paper, cardboard, and newspaper, in one bin and everything else in the other. 

For more information about recycling, contact Liz Swafford, Recycling and Education program coordinator, at 706 278-5001 or e-mail: lswafford@dwswa.org.

Dalton Beats Recycling Record

Posted on WDNN TV online on March 2, 2010.  (www.WDNNTV.com)

In 2009, Dalton collected 1011 tons of recyclables-- exceed their goal by 11 tons! On Monday night, the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority awarded the City of Dalton and the Public Works Department for all their hard work. 

Their goal for 2010 is to collect 1200 tons of recyclables!  Click here to see related video.