Charleston County Council to form green committee

Charleston County Council is putting together a "Green Ribbon Committee" to help the county decide how it will handle its trash for the next 20 to 30 years.

Councilwoman Colleen Condon said she's doing background research on how to best structure the committee. She'll present what she finds to other council members. Council will then decide on the composition of the Green Ribbon Committee in mid-August, Condon said.

The committee, along with a consultant hired by the county, will deal with hot-button issues such as whether to continue burning much of the county's waste in an incinerator, and how best to use space in the Bees Ferry Landfill.

But it will also explore ways to increase recycling and make county operations more energy-efficient, Condon said. The county could improve a lot in those areas, she said.

She's looked into what counties around the country are doing. "I didn't realize we were so far behind."

County staffers first proposed that each council member appoint one person to the committee, Condon said. But she wants to look at all the possibilities before deciding on the make-up of the committee.