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)

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful receives President’s and Governor’s Circle Recognition Awards

Local nonprofit, Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful, received two awards in February to recognize its efforts and works in 2018. It received the Governor’s Circle Award and the President’s Circle Award for its outstanding achievements in community beautification and environmental sustainability. Both awards recognize exemplary performance in litter reduction, waste minimization, and community greening. The Governor’s Circle Award is presented at the Georgia Capitol Building and the President’s Circle Award is presented at the Keep America Beautiful National Conference.

“One of our nation’s most effective grassroots community resources is our local affiliates, which engage millions of Americans in volunteer service each year,” said Keep America Beautiful President and CEO Helen Lowman. “Our affiliates provide real solutions that help create communities that are socially connected, environmentally healthy and economically sound. They enrich the communities they serve and help create opportunities for Americans to do beautiful things.”

“We believe that everyone deserves to live in an environment that is healthy, safe, clean, and beautiful,” said Natalie Johnston-Russell, executive director of the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation. “The recipients of this award are an instrumental part of that mission, and we are thankful for their dedication and commitment.”

In 2018, Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful began its Yard of the Month program, built and installed four monofilament fishing line recycling bins at the new Haig Mill park, hosted the annual Christmas Tree and Electronics Recycling Day, and the Conasauga Watershed River Cleanup. They also were connected with cleaning up over 6,500 pounds of litter by sponsoring multiple Adopt-a-Mile groups and beginning the Turn Up, Clean Up series alongside Believe Greater Dalton.

The executive director, Amy Hartline, began in early 2018. She said about the last year, “We took some great strides in 2018 in connecting more with the community and reaching citizens, this year we are hoping to increase our collaboration and find more ways to get residents involved through our board, collaborations, Adopt-A-Spot program, or events.”

Visit www.KeepDaltonWhitfieldBeautiful.org to register for the KDWB newsletter or call 706-278-5001 to find out how you can volunteer or participate in events

Common Recycling Myths and Misconceptions

Have you ever take your little blue bin to the curb full of your stocked up recyclables and had a neighbor call out that it just ends up in the garbage anyway? Or tell you that they don’t recycle because it will all decompose anyway? Look through this infographic that debunks 10 of the most common myths about recycling. Next time your neighbor downplays your effort to save the planet, hit them with one of these truth-bombs.