Host a Clean Your Block Party

Host your own Clean Your Block Party to show your neighborhood some love and make our community a more beautiful and vibrant place to live. 

Keep America Beautiful has just launched it’s Great American Cleanup program for 2016. During the months of March, April, and May volunteers across the county will have the opportunity to participate in events that focus on litter cleanups, planting plants for beautification, and reducing waste. The Great American Cleanup is the country’s largest community improvement program that kicks off in more than 20,000 communities and engages more than 4 million volunteers each year.

Jennifer M. Jehn, President and Chief Executive Officer of Keep America Beautiful states, “It is humbling to see the millions of volunteers that turn out each year to our affiliate’s Great American Cleanup events. We look forward to a very rewarding 2016 with increased participant engagement, more impactful projects and to taking measurable steps to ensuring each community is a clean, green and beautiful place to live.”

This year’s Great American Cleanup theme is “Clean Your Block Party”. This initiative provides the best practices, activity ideas, and online toolkits to help anyone conduct a Great American Cleanup event in their neighborhood. Learn how to host your own cleanup by downloading the volunteer fact sheet at www.kab.org. The simple guide outlines how to host your own litter cleanup, plant trees, and even revitalize a park with tips for what to do before the event and the day of the event.

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful, the local Keep America Beautiful affiliate encourages residents to volunteer or attend one of the following events where they will find the Clean Your Block Party guide and learn from other local volunteers. 

• Saturday, March 19: Make your home a greener and cleaner place to live by properly dispose of old paint, swimming pool chemicals, and other household hazardous waste at the Old Dixie Hwy. Landfill and Convenience Center’s household hazardous waste facility from 7:00 am to 2:00 pm. Learn more at www.dwswa.org or call 706-277-2545. The next collection days are April 16, and May 21.

• Friday, March 25: Clean up with Dalton State College's Alpha Kappa Lambda Fraternity at Lakeshore Park in Dalton starting at 11:00 am. While this litter cleanup is for the club member’s other volunteers are welcome to participate. They will meet by the turf soccer field towards the center of the park.

• Saturday, March 26: A second cleanup day with the DSC Fraternity, but this time at Al Rollins Park in Dalton also starting at 11:00 am. Non-club members are welcomed to join in the litter cleanup efforts. They will meet at the picnic tables near the parking area.

• Saturday, April 2: Community Cleanup along Emery St. with St. Mark's Episcopal Church and The New Georgians Apartments. They'll start at 9:30 am with a litter cleanup along Emery St. and a trail cleanup at the apartments. Look for the signs that say Community Cleanup.

• Monday, April 18: Learn how to reduce waste in your home by transforming an old t-shirt into a reusable shopping bag or a scarf during a free Earth Day DIY Class at the Bradley Wellness Center in celebration of Earth Day. Bring an old shirt or two and a good pair of scissors, no sewing required. Register by calling 706-278-9355.

• Sunday, April 24: Visit the Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful booth at Ecumenical Earth Day from 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm to learn how you can help stop litter and receive a free litter bag for your car. This annual celebration is hosted by Christ The King Lutheran Church on Thornton Ave. in Dalton. This free family-friendly event includes the participation of many other local organizations with exhibits that teach about conservation, recycling, wildlife and insects, hiking and biking on nearby trails, native fauna, and more.

Shaw Industries is conducting several Adopt a Mile litter cleanups in Dalton for local employees. If you're a Shaw employee, please contact Liz Swafford at 706-278-5001 so she can put you in touch with the Shaw representative for Adopt a Mile. They will have a cleanup in late March and have several throughout the year.

After you attend an event you can host your own Clean Your Block Party this spring with neighborhoods friends, and family. Call Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful at 706-278-5001 for some helpful information on having your own cleanup and possibly getting some supplies. Together we can show our hometown some love and make our community a more vibrant place to live.