Guided Wild Plant Hike set for April 13th

Join Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful and learn more about the plants right in our own backyard! One of the great things about where we live is you don’t have to go far to see a wide variety of plant and animal life. Gretchen Lugthart will lead the group on a hike on College Creek trail, part of the Roadrunner Trail System on Dalton State’s campus, where she will take the time to point out the various forms of plant life and explain why they are vital to our local ecosystem. This guided hike is FREE and open to all! Meet at the College Creek trailhead (near Bandy Gymnasium on DSC campus) - the hike will begin at 9am. Presented by Keep Dalton Whitfield Beautiful and Rootin’ for the Ridges.

Lead Mechanic, Sanford Rittenberry retires

Congratulations to Sanford Rittenberry! Sanford has served as one of our Heavy Equipment Manager for 20 years. His hard work and diligence have greatly benefited our company. We all extend our best wishes to Sanford for a wonderful and well-deserved retirement!

Landfill, Convenience Centers Announce Holiday Hours

Facilities closed in observance of Christmas Day and New Year’s Day

The Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority has announced the holiday hours of operation for it’s four facilities in Whitfield County. Locations include the Old Dixie Hwy. Landfill & Convenience Center, McGaughey Chapel Convenience Center in Cohutta, Westside Convenience Center in Rocky Face, and the M.L. King Convenience Center in Dalton. 

All locations will be closed on Monday, December 25, 2023 in observance of Christmas, and re-open on Tuesday, December 26, 2023 from 7 am to 6 pm, including Westside Convenience Center. All locations will be open on Wednesday, December 27, 2023, including McGaughey Chapel Convenience Center. All locations will be closed on Monday, January 1, 2024 in observance of New Year’s Eve and re-open on Tuesday, January 2, 2024 including Westside Convenience Center. All locations will be open on Wednesday, January 3, 2024, including McGaughey Chapel Convenience Center.

For more information call 706-277-2545 or visit www.DWSWA.org.

Holiday Schedule - Christmas, New Year’s:

• CLOSED CHRISTMAS, DECEMBER 25, 2023

• ALL LOCATIONS OPEN TUESDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2023

• ALL LOCATIONS OPEN WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2023

• RESUME NORMAL HOURS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2023

• CLOSED MONDAY, JANUARY 1, 2024

• ALL LOCATIONS OPEN TUESDAY, JANUARY 2, 2024

• ALL LOCATIONS OPEN WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2024

• RESUME NORMAL HOURS THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 2024

Save the Date for the Annual Christmas Tree and Electronics Recycling Event

Everyone is getting their trees up and stringing their lights now, but do you have a plan for that tree and old electronics after Christmas? Save the date for Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful’s Annual Bring One for the Chipper Event. Over the years, this event has recycled hundreds of live Christmas trees and multiple tons of electronics.

Recycle your live, natural, undecorated Christmas tree after the holiday season, your used electronic devices, and cardboard at The Home Depot on 875 Shugart road on Saturday, December 30, 2023. From 9:00 am to 12:00 pm volunteers will be on site to collect your natural trees and electronics for recycling. There will be a second drop-off site for trees only at Edwards Park also on December 30, 2023 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm.

There is NO charge for trees and most electronics. The only fee is a $10.00 fee for CRT, or Cathode Ray Tube, television sets and computer monitors. Typical CRT TVs have four to eight pounds of lead in them requiring them to have extra-special handling when they are being recycled and results in a higher cost.

Please remove all ornaments and the base from your trees. Electronics will be sent to a third-party recycler. Volunteers will not be removing any data from your devices before sending them onto recycling. Please make sure you wipe the data from laptops, phones, etc. before dropping off.

Participant have their pick of seed packets while supplies last.

Thank you to the following event sponsors and organizers: Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful, Whitfield County Public Works, Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority, and The Home Depot.

For more information or if you want to volunteer at the event call 706-278-5001, or visit Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful online: http://www.keepdaltonwhitfieldbeautiful.org

America Recycles Day Billboard Contest Winner Announced

Eastbrook Middle School 8th grader, Yoselin Rodriguez, is the overall winner of the 2023 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 (one on Cleveland Highway and one on Glenwood Avenue) during the month of November to recognize America Recycles Day on November 15th.

2nd Overall Winner was interviewd by Channel 3 news about her artwork and particpation

Ms. Rodriguez’s design includes the phrase “I Recycle, Do You!” as one of the themes of the contest. The artwork features the Dalton Recycling Center’s mascot Recycling Bin holding his own design with a recycling bin on it in front of an earth. Surrounding the earth is a variety of items that can be recycled like a cardboard box, aluminum can, milk jug, and more. The piece is detailed and eye-catching.

The program was covered by Leah Bolling at Local 3 News. She interviewed Nancy Vega, 2nd Overall winner, a teacher participant, Mrs. Corey Orr at Eastbrook Middle, and our Recycling and Education Coordinator, Amy Hartline.

The billboard design contest, now in its fourteenth year, has 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners from each school that submitted entries. The three 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. All of the classrooms that participated received free art school supplies.

Pictured from left to right are Yoselin Rodriguez, Javier Torres, and Nancy Vega.

Eastbrook Middle

1)      Yoselin Rodriguez (first overall)

2)      Nancy Vega (second overall)

3)      Javier Torres

 

New Hope Middle

1) Ashley Flores Teacher: Casey Mitchell (third overall)

2) Abby Reynosa Teacher: Darlene Morgan

3) Sophie Lofty Teacher: Darlene Morgan

 

Valley Point Middle

1) Chelsea Hernandez

2) Ashley Urbano

3) Natalia Gonzalez

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. through its partnership with Keep America Beautiful. It’s celebrated annually on November 15. For more information on recycling, and to take the pledge to #BeRecycled visit www.AmericaRecyclesDay.org.