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Environmental Management
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Contact Information, Office Hours
Functions, Department Responsibilities
FAQ's, Common Terms, History, Interesting Facts
Recyclable Materials List, Recycling Drop site Locations
Solid Waste Long-Range Plan,
County Council’s Green Initiative and Green Ribbon Committee
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Functions
Solid Waste Management
Recycling Administration
Landfill Management
Material Recovery Facility Management
Compost and Mulch Operations
Curbside and Convenience Center Collection
Incineration
Environmental Enforcement
The Environmental Management Department manages the disposal of solid waste for the County in compliance with the S.C. Solid Waste Policy and Management Act of 1991 and the County of Charleston’s Solid Waste Management Plan. This department has also developed educational and operational programs to inform communities about proper solid waste disposal practices and procedures. Contained within the department are divisions devoted to specific tasks, including collection, disposal, environmental enforcement, recycling and educational programs.
All residents of Charleston County are provided solid waste and recycling services by the County.
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This Department Does
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Manage and operate the John L. Jencks Recycling Center, a materials recovery processing facility where recyclables are sorted, processed and sold.
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Provide a residential recycling program servicing curbside collection to about 180,000 homes, about 55 drop site locations, and eight staffed convenience centers located primarily in the rural areas of the county.
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Manage and operate the Bees Ferry Road Landfill, a 312-acre site with designated areas for debris brought in by local municipalities. Yard waste is composted and sold in bulk at $10 per ton and at $2 per bag.
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Operate a permanent household hazardous materials collection site at the Bees Ferry Road Convenience Center, with electronic waste collection and a paint re-blending program with re-blended paint for sale at $4 per five-gallon bucket.
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Provide public information and community outreach to educate Charleston County residents on the department’s programs and services.
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Enforce the county beautification (nuisance) and illegal dumping ordinances by investigation of violations and citizen's complaints in the unincorporated areas, Ravenel, Meggett and Public Service Districts.
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Oversee bidding and contract administration, in cooperation with the Charleston County Procurement Department, of rural franchise curbside collection of garbage, dry trash and yard waste in the unincorporated areas of East Cooper, Johns Island and the northern part of the county.
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This Department Does Not
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Provide curbside garbage collection (Contact your Municipality or Public Service District).
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Provide curbside yard waste collection (Contact your Municipality or Public Service District).
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Administer or collect the Solid Waste and Recycling User Fee (See Department of Revenue Collections).
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Enforce environmental nuisance or Illegal dumping ordinances in non-partnered municipalities.
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Investigate or prosecute moving vehicle litter violations. Please contact local law enforcement.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Q:
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What is solid waste?
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A:
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Solid waste includes items such as household garbage, yard waste, white goods, construction debris and commercial waste.
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What items can I put in my blue bin for recycling?
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Please see the Recyclable Materials list.
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Are items like tires, computers, TVs, oil and paint recyclable?
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A:
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These items are recyclable but are not picked up with your curbside recycling. These items are accepted at eight staffed convenience centers from residents only. For a complete list, go to Convenience Center & Drop site Locations.
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What is my recycling pick-up day?
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Go to BiWeekly Curbside Pickup Schedule and type in your address for your bi-weekly pick-up day. Or, go to Recycling Information for a Curbside Map and Calendar. For more information, call (843) 720-7111.
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How can I get a blue curbside recycling container?
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A:
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Curbside containers may be picked up, free of charge, at the Bees Ferry Convenience Center, Charleston County Recycling Center, James Island Public Service District, Lonnie Hamilton III Public Services Building, Mount Pleasant Public Services Department, or North Charleston Public Works. Call (843) 720-7111 for more information.
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What happens to the garbage that is collected in Charleston County?
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All household garbage is delivered to the Bees Ferry Landfill or to either of the two transfer stations utilized by Charleston County and then sent to the Oakridge Landfill in Dorchester County.
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What items may I take to the landfill?
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As of July 1, 2008, the Bees Ferry Landfill no longer accepts construction and demolition, vegetative waste or yard debris from private or commercial haulers. Tires may still be delivered for $90 per ton, metal for $30 per ton and municipal solid waste for $66 per ton. Charleston county residents can dispose of one load, up to a ton, of this waste per month at no charge with proper proof of residency. For more information, call (843) 571-0929.
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What is the cost of compost and where can I buy it?
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Compost is sold by the truckload at the Bees Ferry Road Landfill, 1344 Bees Ferry Road, West Ashley, for just $10 a ton. Forty-pound bags of compost are also for sale at the landfill and Recycling Center for $2 per bag. For more information, call (843) 720-7111.
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Q:
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What should I do with my household hazardous materials in Charleston County?
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Residents only, (not businesses), may bring household hazardous materials to any of our eight convenience center locations.
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Q:
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What is the cost of recycled latex paint, and where can I buy it?
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A:
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Residents can purchase recycled latex paint for just $4 for a five-gallon bucket at the Bees Ferry Road Convenience Center,
Bees Ferry Convenience Center (staffed center):
Open 7:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily
Except Sundays, open 1 - 6 p.m.
Click here for more information on buying paint.
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Common Terms
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Brown Goods-- Bulky wastes such as furniture.
C & D (Construction and Demolition Debris) -- Also known as dry trash. Discarded solid waste resulting from construction, remodeling, repair and demolition of structures, road construction and land clearing. Included are bricks, trees and stumps, concrete, masonry materials, soil, rock, lumber, paving materials and road spoils.
Recycling-- Any process by which materials, which would have otherwise become solid waste, are collected, separated or processed and reused or returned to use in the form of raw materials or products.
White Goods-- Appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, dryers and stoves.
Drop sites –Recycling dumpsters placed in different locations throughout the county that are used to collect recyclables. Drop sites are un-manned.
Bins – Smaller containers used in homes, businesses and at events to collect recyclables. What is collected in bins can be put out by the curb or placed in drop sites.
Roll Carts – These are the bins that look like the trashcans put out by the curb for residents. They have wheels on them and are usually 95 gallons.
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History
In July 1970, Charleston County Council created a task force which developed a solid waste plan. A year later, the S.C. General Assembly approved an act establishing a solid waste system for Charleston County.
Between 1971 and 1989, the Public Works Department operated two landfills -- one for disposal of dry trash and white goods and another which received shredded garbage from the Romney Street Solid Waste processing plant. The County purchased the Bees Ferry Road Landfill to receive excess shredded garbage. Today, Charleston County operates a municipal solid waste landfill and a construction and demolition debris landfill, both permitted by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), at our Bees Ferry Road facility. It receives dry trash and construction debris and is now the site of County compost and mulch production.
The Montenay Incinerator (formerly Foster Wheeler) is a waste-to-energy facility located near Spruill Avenue in North Charleston and has been in operation since Nov. 1, 1989. This approach of converting solid waste to energy eliminated the need for the Romney Street solid waste shredding facility, which remained closed after Hurricane Hugo and was officially closed on Jan. 1, 1990.
Recycling began as a pilot program with sorting conducted at the Public Works Headquarters in 1989. Curbside recycling began in 1991, and the original solid waste shredding facility was retrofitted to a recovered material processing facility.
A separate Solid Waste Department was created in 1994. Today, the County provides residents with solid waste disposal and recycling services. Manned convenience centers provide garbage and trash disposal and recycling services to citizens residing in the County's rural and unincorporated areas.
In 2009, the Solid Waste and Recycling Department's name changed to Environmental Management.
At the end of 2009, the Monteney Incinerator stopped receiving trash from Charleston County.
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Interesting Facts
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Convenience center operations include eight staffed locations which offer garbage and trash collection, as well as recycling. The centers are open every day. There are also about 55 unstaffed recycling drop sites located throughout the county.
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The Charleston County compost facility processes 23,000 tons of yard waste each year.
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Newspaper is the largest volume product recycled in Charleston County. In 2008, the Charleston County Recycling Center recycled 9,564 tons.
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Aluminum and newspaper generate a great amount of revenue. The average value for aluminum is $1,990/ton and generated $42,051 in FY2008. Newspaper generated $1,502,316 in revenue for FY2008 at $179/ton.
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Since its inception, the department has received the following awards:
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National Association of Counties' Achievement Award for the Solid Waste Management Plan
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DHEC's Best County Recycling Program Award
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S.C. Recycling Association's Best Recycling Program Award
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DHEC's Best Used Oil Program Award
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DHEC's Best State Educational Program
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DHEC's Most Innovative Recycling Program
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Solid Waste Association of North America's Best Material Recovery Facility Award
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American Forest & Paper Association's Best Paper Recycling Awards for 1997 in the category of "Public Sector, population over 100,000"
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South Carolina DHEC’s Most Outstanding County Waste Reduction/Recycling Program for a population greater than 150,000 in 2008
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Carolina Recycling Association’s Most Successful Local Government Award in 2009
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John Foster, Charleston County’s Recycling Manager, won the Carolina Recycling Association’s 2009 Recycler of the Year Award
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Contact Information
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Environmental Management
13 Romney Street
Charleston, SC 29403
(843) 720-7111
(843) 720-7115 (Fax)
Bees Ferry Landfill
1344 Bees Ferry Road
Charleston, SC 29455
(843) 571-0929
(843) 571-1265 (Fax)
Bees Ferry Household Hazardous Materials Site
1344 Bees Ferry Road
Charleston, SC 29455
(843) 763-8564
Environmental Officer
4350 Azalea Avenue
Charleston, SC 29405
(843) 202-7975
Convenience Centers:
13 Romney Street
(843) 720-7111
1344 Bees Ferry Road
(843) 763-8564
6380 Maxville Road
Awendaw
(843) 928-3860
2844 Highway 174
Edisto
(843) 869-2917
8326 Old Jacksonboro Road
Adams Run in Hollywood
5303 Highway 165
Hollywood
(843) 889-2917
1775 River Road
McClellanville
(843) 887-3970
1558 Liberia Road
Wadmalaw
(843) 559-0841
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Office Hours
Administrative Offices at the Recycling Center
Monday-Friday
8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Bees Ferry Convenience Center (staffed center):
Open 7:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily
Except Sundays, open 1 - 6 p.m.
Charleston County Recycling Center (13 Romney Street, downtown Charleston):
Monday-Friday: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Closed Saturday and Sunday
All Other Convenience Centers (staffed centers):
Open 7:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily
Except Wednesdays and Sundays, open 1 - 6 p.m.
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