Reminder - Cardboard Boxes Aren't Allowed At The Curbside
Friday, December 30th, 2022
Santa Claus has come and gone and in his wake he left a lot of new cardboard boxes along with his presents. As families clean up and get ready for the New Year, it's important to remember that those new cardboard boxes can't be left at the curbside for pickup by the City's garbage and recycling pickup.
Since August 2020, the City's policy has been that cardboard boxes must either be broken down and placed inside of a residence's recycling bin or they must be taken to one of six cardboard recycling dropoff dumpsters located around the City. However, the City's Public Works Department and Code Compliance staff frequently see violations of this policy.
Caption: A cardboard recycling dumpster location at City Hall in Dalton.
"I think it’s just that people don’t realize they can’t leave it out there," said Dan Lewallen, a member of the City's Code Compliance staff. "Especially right now during the holiday season, people are getting new TVs for Christmas and that sort of thing, you’re seeing a lot of TV boxes and that kind of thing out there. But it always goes on, even in early November, I can go into any neighborhood and if I’m working at a house I can turn around and see cardboard boxes out by the road."
The Garbage and Recycling Policy was changed in 2020 as part of an effort to improve the community's appearance and reduce unsightly waste at the curbside. One of the big changes involved cardboard waste, prohibiting leaving cardboard boxes out for collection. Boxes now must be broken down and left in recycling bins. If the broken-down boxes can’t fit in the recycling bin, residents should take them to one of six cardboard recycling dumpster locations in the city (Heritage Point Park, Dalton Public Works, Haig Mill Lake Park, Mitchell Street at the Rec Department, Dalton Fire Station #4, or Lakeshore Park). There is also a seventh cardboard recycling dumpster located at City Hall.
"It’s an issue because those things are going to blow away and all of a sudden your cardboard box is now your neighbor’s problem," Lewallen said of the cardboard waste he sees left next to City streets.
Another component of the CIty's revised Garbage and Recycling policy involves refuse items (bulky items that do not fit in the garbage can or recycling bin). Residents must contact Public Works by phone at 706-278-7077 or by using the SeeClickFix app to schedule pickup of items before placing them at the curb. This is to reduce the amount of time that unsightly refuse spends on the curb before Public Works comes to collect it. Only items that are permissible under the refuse collection policy will be collected.
As the new year begins in 2023, let's all resolve to spruce up Dalton's neighborhoods and keep unsightly cardboard and refuse off of our curbs!
Below: Garbage/Recycling/Refuse instructions in English and Spanish
