Billboard Design Contest for Middle School Students Announced

Target Recycling, a program managed by the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority (DWSWA), has initiated a billboard design contest for Middle Schools in Whitfield County. Students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade are asked to design artwork for a billboard with a recycling theme in celebration of America Recycles Day. The winning design will be displayed for four weeks on two billboards within our community.

The 2010 America Recycles Day Billboard Contest is the first of it’s kind for the recycling program. America Recycles Day takes place yearly on November 15 and encourages the public to take a pledge to recycle. Winners will be announced on Monday, November 15 at City Hall in the City of Dalton.

Middle schools that recycle with Target Recycling in Whitfield County are invited to participate. These include 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. 

Entries are due on Wednesday, November 10th. 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. Billboard design requirements, participating schools, suggested themes, and important dates are available in the Contest Rules document. 

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

Where Does Old Carpet Go?

Remodeling your home? Installing new carpet for a customer? Are you asking yourself, “Where does old carpet go?”  The Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority answers that question in the new “How to Guide for Post-Consumer Carpet and Carpet Pad Disposal in Whitfield County”.   This short full-color guide with photos explains the step-by-step process of preparing and delivering your carpet and carpet pad to the Old Dixie Hwy. Landfill and Convenience Center for proper disposal or recycling.

Upon delivery, carpet and carpet pad are directed to the Old Dixie Materials Recovery Facility (Recycling Center) located on the same property.  The staff tests the carpet to determine if it can be sent through the recycling process.  If not, it’s set aside in a carpet balefill where it waits for other opportunities to be used as a resource.  However, most kinds of carpet are recyclable.  Depending on the face fiber, the carpet can be used to make a new product such as composite lumber, automotive parts, and carpet padding.

To prepare your carpet and carpet pad, first make sure it’s clean, dry, and free of debris.  Roll up the carpet and padding separately.  Tie the roll by using a strip of carpet from the edge of the roll.  Detailed directions and photos are laid out in the guide.  Next, take the rolls to the Old Dixie Highway Landfill & Convenience Center located at 4189 Old Dixie Highway in Dalton, GA.  Stop at the Scale House to have your vehicle weighed and be directed to the appropriate drop off area.  Finally, enjoy a 46% discount off the regular gate fee as a thank you for participating in the post-consumer carpet program.

“Where does old carpet go?” is an educational campaign to inform residents in Whitfield County about the post-consumer carpet program and it’s benefits.  The booklet-sized brochure opens up to reveal a poster that can be placed at local businesses to help spread the message about the program.  The online version of the guide does not include the poster but does contain the same basic information as the full version.  Download your copy of the guide today at www.DWSWA.org or call 706-278-5001 to request a copy by mail.

To learn more about carpet recycling visit Carpet America Recovery Effort online at www.carpetrecovery.org.  For more information about recycling in Whitfield County contact Liz Swafford, Recycling and Education Program Coordinator, at lswafford@dwswa.org.

Recycling Guide For Convenience Centers in Whitfield County Released

Recycling at Convenience Centers in Whitfield County just got easier thanks to a new recycling guide released by the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority. The new guide called “How to Guide for Recycling at Convenience Centers in Whitfield County” is available for pickup at local Convenience Centers may be downloaded online at www.DWSWA.org.

The recycling guide is filled with interesting facts about recycling, shows what types of products are accepted for recycling in Whitfield County, and reminds everyone that they can make a difference when they recycle. It’s also part of an education campaign called “Stop treating us like garbage.” which is designed to remind the public that items in their household trash can be a resource. For example, newspaper when recycled is made into more newspaper, insulation, paperboard, and egg cartons.

Convenience Centers in Whitfield County include the Old Dixie Landfill, Westside, M.L. King Blvd., and McGaughey Chapel. Each one features a Recycling Drop-off Area for newspapers and magazines, cardboard, mixed paper, plastic bottles and jugs with the #1 or #2 recycling symbol, aluminum cans, bi-metal, and glass bottles and jars that are clear, brown, green or blue.

For more information about recycling in Whitfield County contact Liz Swafford, Recycling and Education Program Coordinator, e-mail: lswafford@dwswa.org or call 706-278-5001.

Over 1 Million Pounds Recycled by City of Dalton Curbside Recycling Program

DALTON, GA -  Residents participating in the City of Dalton Curbside Recycling program collected over 1 million pounds of recyclables during the first six months of the year.  This is an 18.9% increase compared to the same time last year.  Recycling takes a product at the end of its useful life and uses all or part of it to make another product instead of more garbage.  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.

550.1 tons or 1,100,200 pounds of recyclables were collected during the months of January to June 2010 according to the City of Dalton Curbside Recycling Report produced by the Dalton-Whitfield Regional Solid Waste Authority’s Materials Recovery Facility or Recycling Center.  1,100,200 pounds are the equivalent of a stack of newspapers 5.95 miles long.  The goal for this year is 1,200 tons or 2,400,000 pounds. Products collected for recycling include paper, magazines, newspaper, cardboard, plastic bottles and jugs with the #1 or #2 recycling symbol, aluminum cans, bi-metal or tin cans, and glass bottles and jars that are clear, brown, green or blue.

Residents of the City of Dalton in single-family homes 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 a more information 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.

Residents of Whitfield County living outside of the City of Dalton also have opportunities to recycle.  All four Convenience Centers managed by the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority have Recycling Drop-off Areas that collect the same products as the Curbside Recycling program.  For locations, hours and directions visit www.dwswa.org.  For more information about recycling contact Liz Swafford, Recycling and Education Program Coordinator, at 706-278-5001.

Pleasant Grove Elementary Named Top Recycler for Third Quarter

DALTON, GA -  During the months of February, March, and April Pleasant Grove Elementary collected 8,690 pounds of recyclables through the Target Recycling program.  That is the equivalent of collecting 57,933 empty cereal boxes or 896,000 sheets of printer paper.  Thanks to the efforts of the staff, teachers, and students, Pleasant Grove Elementary improved their recycling rate of only 2.1 pounds per students during the 1st quarter of the 2009 – 2010 school year to an amazing 15.9 pounds per student for the 3rd quarter.

Recycling Ben, mascot for the Target Recycling program, presented the student body at Pleasant Grove Elementary their award on Friday, May 21st.  The award chosen by school staff is a blue wagon to help collect recycling bins from classrooms and offices.   Students cheered as their mascot Pee Gee accepted the wagon from Recycling Ben.  During the school assembly Liz Swafford, Recycling & Education Program Coordinator for Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority, congratulated the students for all their hard work and highlighted their achievements in recycling for the year.

Target Recycling is a recycling program managed by the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority that includes educational opportunities and recognition of participation for City of Dalton and Whitfield County schools.  Since the Fall of 2008 local schools have hosted Target Recycling Containers where they collected mixed paper products like cardboard, paper, office paper, books, cereal boxes, magazines, and newspapers.  Each quarter the school with the highest recycling rate receives a custom award that will help improve the recycling program or beautify their campus.   For more information visit www.dwswa.org, www.recyclingben.org or call 706-278-5001.

Pictured are Recycling Ben, Pee Gee, and some of the fifth graders that participate in recycling at Pleasant Grove Elementary in Dalton, GA.