Question of waste

In the subdivisions next door to Charleston County's massive Bees Ferry Landfill, some residents say you wouldn't know a landfill is nearby because you can't see, hear or smell it.

In Union Heights in North Charleston, some residents say the opposite is true of the incinerator that burns most of the county's household garbage, and they were pleased Tuesday to see County Council finalize a decision to break off negotiations that could have extended the incinerator's use.

"We wanted to make sure that what they said would get done, got done," said Rahim Karriem, president of the Union Heights Community Council.

With an 8-0 vote (Councilman Victor Rawl was absent), the council reaffirmed that the incinerator's time has come, after 20 years. What to do with all that garbage remains an open question.

The county plans to quadruple the amount of waste that is recycled, to 40 percent, but has not determined how to do that. For the moment, the only place to take the roughly 212,000 tons of yearly household garbage that now goes to the incinerator will be the Bees Ferry Landfill.

The incinerator contract expires at the end of this year.

Sending the garbage to the landfill would mean a whole lot more trucks heading to West Ashley, from as far away as Awendaw.

Steve Yaeger lives in Grand Oaks Plantation, just north of the landfill property on Bees Ferry Road. He's not concerned about more noise or odors from the landfill because he isn't aware of any now. But more trucks are another matter.

"The one thing I do object to is the traffic, especially on Bees Ferry Road," he said.

But unlike residents in Union Heights, some in Grand Oaks Plantation and in Hunt Club, a subdivision on the south side of the landfill, see their neighborhood waste disposal facility as benign.

Fontaine Rickman said that because of the landfill, friends warned her against buying a home in Hunt Club. But she said you really wouldn't know it's there unless someone told you. And it's handy for people who need to get rid of things that can't be put into trash cans, such as empty paint cans.

"Actually, it's a convenience," she said.

Earlier this year, a consultant hired by the county, Mitch Kessler, recommended increasing the recycling goal and concluded that eliminating the incinerator would save the county $2 million yearly, but would cut the time before the landfill fills up to 14 years from 25.

County officials say they don't plan to simply ship all the garbage to Bees Ferry but have been vague about what the county might do instead.

The county's official response last week was this: "Charleston County staff and its consultant (Kessler) continue to evaluate all options for recycling and waste disposal available to us at this time, as well as new and emerging technologies and regional efforts."

Councilwoman Colleen Condon said Friday that some of the options the county is considering could be in place before the incinerator closes.

Money could be an issue.

Kessler said the county could boost its recycling rate from 10 percent to 20 percent simply by composting all of the yard waste that's taken the landfill. However, plans to expand the composting facility were sidelined during the past year because of county budget constraints.

The company that runs the incinerator is expected to be an active player in the ongoing discussion, despite the vote to stop negotiating over the incinerator itself.

Montenay, the incinerator operator, is a subsidiary of Veolia Environmental Services, the world's second largest waste management company. The company could end up offering proposals to the county for landfill operations and recycling, according to Lee Bazzle, manager of the incinerator (which Montenay calls a waste-to-energy recycling facility).

Bazzle was the only person to address council Tuesday after the incinerator vote. He said the county's process for deciding how to handle household waste has been unfocused, and he urged council members to decide what they want so that his company might bid.

Bazzle also cautioned the county about embracing unproven technologies.

After the meeting, Union Heights residents who had looked on were cautiously optimistic that the vote will truly mean the end of the incinerator and the garbage trucks through their neighborhood.

Coakley Hilton of the Lowcountry Alliance for Model Communities said the next thing will be working with the county to see what becomes of the county-owned land where the incinerator, owned by AT&T, now sits. Montenay had an option to buy the incinerator, which expired Monday.

In other business Tuesday, the council gave final approval to the county's $167.5 million budget for the year starting July 1. The budget does not include a tax increase.

Reach David Slade at 937-5552 or dslade@postandcourier.com.