County goal of recycling 40% of waste will take effort, incentives, experts say

Let's face it, sorting bottles, cans and newspapers is a little more work than throwing everything in the trash bin. You've also got to store it and get it out to the curb every other week on just the right day. Miss one and you spend the next two weeks balancing more bottles on the overflowing heap in the blue plastic tubs.

But more residents are going to have to step up and do it if the county is to reach its goal to quadruple recycling in the next five years.

And recycling has its benefits, even if that doesn't immediately mean more time or money for the average citizen. People who regularly recycle say they just feel good about doing it. The guilt-prone are freed from the gnawing feeling they're being wasteful. And those who see recycling as a "touchy-feely thing" can bank on the local landfill lasting longer, something that likely will save them money in taxes down the road.

If the county is to reach the goal council approved last month to boost recycling from 10 percent to 40 percent of the stream of municipal solid waste, the business community also will have to pitch in.

Ed Skernolis, executive director of the National Recycling Coalition, said the county's goal was "aspirational but that doesn't mean it's not achievable. The blue print for increasing recycling in communities isn't rocket science," he said.

Programs work if centers are accessible. They make recycling a convenient option, and they provide some motivation, which could be an educational component or financial incentives, he said.

Mitch Kessler, a consultant working with the county to develop a long-term plan for disposing of solid waste, said the goal is realistic. The county can boost its rate from 10 percent to 20 percent simply by composting all of the yard waste that's brought to the Bees Ferry Landfill. Now, some of the grass clipping and branches are turned into compost, which the county then sells for $10 per ton, but much of it is dumped in the landfill.

Kessler said the county can boost the rate an additional 10 percent by encouraging businesses to recycle more, 5 percent by getting more households on board, and 5 percent by recycling building materials such as concrete and wood from buildings that have been demolished.

County Council approved the new goal late last month, he said, so the county's solid waste department hasn't had time to develop a plan to achieve it. Specifics of the plan will vary depending on whether the county closes the incinerator, where it now burns most of its trash. A January 2008 decision not to renew a contract with the company that runs the facility is in effect. But Council could reverse that decision before the current contract expires at the end of the year.

Skernolis said the county's current 10 percent rate is relatively low compared to some other places in the country. The state of California mandates that at least 50 percent of waste be recycled. The national average is about 33 percent — with 23 percent coming from curb-side recycling and 10 percent from yard waste, he said.

Kessler said he's careful about comparing statistics between one county and another because everybody calculates rates differently. What's important, he said, is finding ways to increase recycling within the county.

County Councilwoman Colleen Condon said she's excited about getting started on the new goal, although she knows it will take some work to change some people's habits. "The reality is most folks want to recycle, but for some folks it's still not on their radar."

She thinks achieving the goal will take efforts such as: composting all yard waste, placing recycling bins at all large events, recycling more types of plastic and other items; and getting more businesses to recycle.

Chris Fisher, owner of Fisher Recycling, a commercial recycling company, said many local businesses don't recycle because there is little incentive for them to do it. Charleston County picks up household recycling, he said, but businesses have to pay a private company for such services.

In downtown Charleston's commercial district, for example, the city picks up trash six days a week, he said. "I'm charging a fee for a service, and they can throw it out for free," Fisher said.

Businesses produce a lot of recyclable material, he said. He estimates that corrugated cardboard makes up about half of the waste downtown businesses throw away.

One day last week, he said, a downtown hotel that has hired him to pick up its recyclables put out 12 96-gallon tubs of glass. Each weighed more than 300 pounds.

Between businesses and homes, boosting the recycling rate must be a part of the county's long-term solid waste plan, Condon said.

Skernolis said he's seen many communities up their rates. "Once a community makes the investment — and you can't just use the words — it's going to have some success if not extraordinary success."

Top 10 reasons to recycle

1. Good for the economy

American companies rely on recycling programs to provide the raw materials they need to make new products.

2. Creates jobs

Recycling in the United States is a $236-billion-a-year industry. More than 56,000 recycling and reuse enterprises nationwide employ 1.1 million workers.

3. Reduces waste

The average American discards seven-and-a-half pounds of garbage every day. Most of this garbage goes into to landfills, where it's buried.

4. Good for the environment

Recycling requires far less energy, uses fewer natural resources and keeps waste from piling up in landfills.

5. Saves energy

Recycling offers significant energy savings over manufacturing with virgin materials.

6. Preserves landfill space

No one wants to live next door to a landfill. Recycling preserves existing landfill space.

7. Prevents global warming

In 2000, recycling of solid waste prevented the release of 32.9 million metric tons of carbon equivalent (MMTCE, the unit of measure for greenhouse gases) into the air.

8. Reduces water pollution

Making goods from recycled materials generates far less water pollution than manufacturing from virgin materials.

9. Protects wildlife

Using recycled materials reduces the need to damage forests, wetlands, rivers and other places essential to wildlife.

10. Creates new demand

Recycling and buying recycled products creates demand for more recycled products, decreasing waste and helping our economy.