Billboard Design Winner for 2016 Contest Announced

The winning billboard design by Madison Powell will be placed at two locations in Whitfield County during the month of November in celebration of America Recycles Day.

Valley Point Middle School 8th graders placed in the America Recycles Day Billboard Design Contest for 2016. From left to right: Madison Powell, 1st place and 1st place overall; Eliezer Vasquez, 2nd place.

Pictured are students from Eastbrook Middle who each placed 3rd in their grade level in the America Recycles Day Billboard Design Contest for 2016. From left to right: Jazmine Ayabar, 6th grade; Melissa Trujillo, 7th grade; Elena Cabero, 8th grade. 

Valley Point Middle School 7th graders placed in the America Recycles Day Billboard Design Contest for 2016. From left to right: Camy Rettew, 1st place; Dania Cristobal, 2nd place. 

Valley Point Middle School 6th graders placed in the America Recycles Day Billboard Design Contest for 2016. From left to right: Macey Cook, 2nd place; Lily Woodring, 1st place. 

Valley Point Middle School 8th grader, Madison Powell, is the overall winner of the 2016 America Recycles Day Billboard Design Contest hosted by the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority’s program Target Recycling at School. The winning design will be displayed on two billboards in Whitfield County along Glenwood Ave. during the month of November.

Ms. Powell’s design, which was chosen out of 91 entries, includes the phrase “I want to be recycled” one of the themes of the contest. The artwork shows an aluminum beverage can dreaming about being recycled into a space ship or rocket. Materials that are recycled are used to manufacture a variety of products. Aluminum for example may be recycled into beverage cans, construction materials, or parts for new vehicles.   

The billboard design contest, now in its seventh year, has a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winner from each grade level which includes 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. The nine winners, listed below, received a certificate of participation and a gift bag with items made from recycled materials. The first place overall, who is the winner of the billboard, was selected from the first place design from each grade level.

6th grade:

• 1st Place – Lily Woodring, Valley Point Middle School
• 2nd Place – Macey Cook, Valley Point Middle School
• 3rd Place – Jazmine Ayabar, Eastbrook Middle School

7th grade:

• 1st Place – Camy Rettew, Valley Point Middle School
• 2nd Place – Dania Cristobal, Valley Point Middle School
• 3rd Place – Melissa Trujillo, Valley Point Middle School 

8th grade:

• 1st Place and Overall Winner – Madison Powell, Valley Point Middle School
• 2nd Place – Eliezer Vasquez, Valley Point Middle School
• 3rd Place – Elena Cabero, Eastbrook Middle School

Target Recycling at School provides recycling collection services and environmental education opportunities to schools in Whitfield County. For more information call 706-278-5001 or visit www.dwswa.org.

America Recycles Day is a community-driven event dedicated to promoting recycling awareness, commitment, and action in the U.S. thru its partnership with Keep America Beautiful. It’s celebrated annually on November 15. For more information on recycling, and to take the pledge to recycle visit www.AmericaRecyclesDay.org.   

Billboard Design Winner for 2015 Contest Announced

This is a mockup of what the artwork will look like on the 2015 billboard.

Eastbrook Middle School 7th grade students who placed in the billboard contest are pictured with their artwork. Left to Right: Montserrat Adame, Elena Cabreo, and Emily Ruiz.

Eastbrook Middle School 8th grade students who placed in the billboard contest are pictured with their artwork. Left to Right: Reina Paniagua, Stephanie Sullivan, and Denise Hernandez.

Dalton Middle School student Jamie A. Smith placed first for the 6th grade level.

(Dalton, GA, October 30, 2015) – Eastbrook Middle School 7th grader, Emily Ruiz, is the overall winner of the 2015 America Recycles Day Billboard Design Contest hosted by the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority’s program Target Recycling at School. The winning design will be displayed on two billboards in Whitfield County along Glenwood Ave. starting November 2nd for at least one month.

Ms. Ruiz’s design, which was chosen out of 162 entries, includes the phrase “I want to be recycled” one of the themes of the contest. The artwork is eye catching and very colorful showing a plastic bottle inside a recycling bin with a soda can following it thinking that it also wants to be recycled. 

The billboard design contest typically has a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winner from each grade level. Due to the high number of entries received from Eastbrook Middle School the all students from that school will receive an ice cream party on November 16, during the week of America Recycles Day.

The seven winners, listed below, received a certificate of participation and a gift bag with items made from recycled materials. The first place overall was selected from the first place design from each grade level.

6th grade:

• 1st Place – Jamie A. Smith, Dalton Middle School

7th grade:

• 1st Place and Overall Winner – Emily Ruiz, Eastbrook Middle School
• 2nd Place – Elena Cabreo, Eastbrook Middle School
• 3rd Place – Montserrat Adame, Eastbrook Middle School 

8th grade:

• 1st Place – Reina Paniagua, Eastbrook Middle School
• 2nd Place – Stephanie Sullivan, Eastbrook Middle School
• 3rd Place – Denise Hernandez, Eastbrook Middle School

This is the sixth year of the design contest open to Whitfield County middle school students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade attending either a public or private school that recycles with Target Recycling at School. The program provides recycling collection services and environmental education opportunities to schools in Whitfield County. For more information call 706-278-5001 or visit www.dwswa.org.

America Recycles Day is a community-driven event dedicated to promoting recycling awareness, commitment, and action in the U.S. thru its partnership with Keep America Beautiful. It’s celebrated annually on November 15. For more information on recycling, and to take the pledge to recycle visit www.AmericaRecyclesDay.org.   

2014 Billboard Design Contest Winner Announced

“I want to be recycled” is the overall winner for this year’s America Recycles Day Billboard contest.  The design was created by Eastbrook Middle School 7th grader Reina Paniagua.

Eastbrook Middle School 7th grader, Reina Paniagua, is the overall winner of the 2014 America Recycles Day Billboard Design Contest hosted by the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority’s program Target Recycling at School. 

The design chosen out of 162 entries includes the phrase “I want to be recycled” which was one of the themes of the contest.  The artwork is eye catching and very colorful with a group of recyclable materials shouting out their desire to be recycled in a blue speech bubble.  

The winning design will be displayed on two billboards in the Whitfield County area for at least one month.  This is the fifth year of the design contest open to Whitfield County middle school students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade attending either a public or private school that recycles with Target Recycling at School.

The billboard design contest had a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winner from each grade level.  The nine students, listed below, received a certificate of participation and a gift bag with items made from recycled materials. The first place overall was selected from the first place design from each grade level.

Eastbrook Middle School students who placed in the billboard contest are pictured with their artwork. Top Row, Left to Right: Graviela Zamora, Citlally Garcia, Angela Torres, and Reina Paniagua. Bottom Row, Left to Right: Luis DeLeon, and Moises Gaspar.

6th grade:

• 1st Place – Angela Torres, Eastbrook Middle School
• 2nd Place – Yanira Guzman, Dalton Middle School
• 3rd Place – Leonardo Fraire, Dalton Middle School 

7th grade:

• 1st Place and Overall Winner – Reina Paniagua, Eastbrook Middle School
• 2nd Place – Graviela Zamora, Eastbrook Middle School
• 3rd Place – Citlally Garcia, Eastbrook Middle School 

Dalton Middle School students that placed in the billboard contest are pictured with their artwork.  From Left to Right: Leonardo Fraire, Yanira Guzman, and Alondra Martinez.

8th grade:

• 1st Place – Luis DeLeon, Eastbrook Middle School
• 2nd Place – Moises Gaspar, Eastbrook Middle School
• 3rd Place – Alondra Martinez, Dalton Middle School

America Recycles Day is a community-driven event dedicated to promoting recycling awareness, commitment, and action in the U.S. thru its partnership with Keep America Beautiful.  For more information on recycling, and to take the pledge to recycle visit www.AmericaRecyclesDay.org.   

  Target Recycling at School provides recycling collection services and environmental education opportunities to schools in Whitfield County.  For more information call 706-278-5001 or visit www.dwswa.org. 

Local Schools Participate in Nationwide School Recycling Contest

Keep America Beautiful, Inc., the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization, has announced the winners of “Recycle-Bowl”, the first comprehensive nationwide recycling competition for elementary-, middle- and high-school students.  65 schools in Georgia participated at the state level recycling as much as possible during the weeks of October 15 to November 15, 2013.   At the state level, two local schools placed in the Top 5 in Georgia taking second, and third place.

Public and private schools in Whitfield County currently participate in Target Recycling at School, a free recycling collection service offered by the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority.  With the assistance of the DWSWA’s recycling center, 36 local schools were registered for the 3rd annual nationwide competition.  Each school received a kit to help promote recycling in their school with posters and educational activities. 

At the end of the competition period the weights of the recyclables collected at each school were reported to Recycle-Bowl staff.  The national winner was Foothill Elementary School in Pittsburg, California.  A full list of statewide winners can be found at www.Recycle-Bowl.org.  Below are the top five schools in the state of Georgia for Recycle-Bowl 2013:

Georgia’s Top 5 Recycle-Bowl Competitors:

1. Cass Middle School, Cartersville, GA

2. New Hope Middle School, Dalton, GA

3. Pleasant Grove Elementary, Dalton, GA

4. Robert Shaw Traditional Theme School, Scottdate, GA

5. Brighten Academy, Douglasville, GA

The total amount of school only recyclables recovered nationwide during the 2013 competition added up to 6.4 million pounds, which in turn prevented the release of nearly 8,913 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCE). In real-world terms, this reduction in greenhouse gases is equivalent to the annual emissions from 473 passenger cars.

 “Inspiring young people to recycle at school reinforces the importance of recycling everywhere, whether at home or on the go,” said Jennifer Jehn, president and CEO of Keep America Beautiful. “We are also pleased that so many schools use the competition to improve existing recycling programs or develop new ones that didn’t exist prior to their participation.”

Three Local Schools Place in Nationwide Recycling Contest

Three local schools make it to the Top Five in Georgia

(Dalton, GA, February 28, 2013) – Keep America Beautiful, Inc., the nation's largest volunteer-based community action and education organization, has announced the winners of "Recycle-Bowl", the first comprehensive nationwide recycling competition for elementary-, middle- and high-school students. 65 schools in Georgia participated at the state level recycling as much as possible during the weeks of October 15, 2012 to November 9, 2012. Three local schools placed in the Top 5 in Georgia taking second, third, and fourth place.

Public and private schools in Whitfield County currently participate in Target Recycling at School, a free recycling collection service offered by the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority. With the assistance of the DWSWA's recycling center, 35 local schools were registered for the 2nd annual nationwide competition. Each school received a kit to help promote recycling in their school with posters and educational activities.

At the end of the competition period the weights of the recyclables collected at each school were reported to Recycle-Bowl staff. The national winner was Taylor Primary in Kokomo, Indiana. A full list of statewide winners can be found at www.Recycle-Bowl.org. Below are the top five schools in the state of Georgia for Recycle-Bowl 2012:

Georgia's Top 5 Recycle-Bowl Competitors:
1. Kingsley Elementary School, Dunwoody, GA
2. New Hope Middle School, Dalton, GA
3. Dug Gap Elementary School, Dalton, GA
4. Learning Tree Elementary School, Dalton, GA
5. Brighten Academy, Douglasville, GA

The total amount of school only recyclables recovered nationwide during the 2012 competition added up to 4.5 million pounds, which in turn prevented the release of nearly 1,717 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2E). In real-world terms, this reduction in greenhouse gases is equivalent to the annual emissions from 334 passenger cars.

"Keep America Beautiful is pleased with the great momentum Recycle-Bowl achieved in its second year, thanks to the effort of students, teachers and school administrators across America," said Matt McKenna, president and CEO of Keep America Beautiful. "Recycle-Bowl provides teachers with a great opportunity to integrate math, science and sustainability lessons into classroom curricula through experiential education as well as a way to introduce recycling into a school's general operations."