Panel to study future of trash disposal

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 will present what she finds to other council members, and Council will 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.

It also will 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," she said.

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 makeup of the committee.

Nancy Vinson, program director for the Coastal Conservation League, said such a committee could benefit from input from scientists and financial and business leaders.

"The Coastal Conservation League would be delighted to serve," she said.

She also said she thought County Council was wise for creating a comprehensive solid-waste plan.

Councilman Henry Darby said his priority is to close the incinerator. The facility sits in the North Charleston district that he represents, and people in the neighborhoods near the incinerator have suffered from its smoke, ash and stench for 18 years, he said.

"It's a travesty of justice, and we're not going to allow this any longer," he said.

Darby said he could work toward and support a county-wide plan for solid-waste disposal, as long as it doesn't involve a trash-burning incinerator.

Reach Diane Knich at 937-5491 or dknich@post andcourier.com.