Charleston County Holiday Recycling Schedule

News Release

December 17, 2018 Release Number: 4295

MEDIA CONTACT

Shawn R. Smetana, Public Information Officer

Phone: (843) 958-4007/Fax: (843) 958-4004

Email: ssmetana@charlestoncounty.org

Recycle Christmas Trees and Go Green this Holiday Season

Tips from Environmental Management and the holiday recycling pickup schedule

Charleston County Environmental Management Holiday Schedule: Please note crews will be picking up through Saturday during the Holiday

• Curbside Recycling Collection
• There will be no residential curbside collection on Monday, December 24, Tuesday, December 25, or Tuesday, January 1. Collection will resume on Wednesday, December 26 and Wednesday, January 2 with holiday makeup days occurring on the day following your regularly scheduled pick up day. Crews will be working through Saturday. Please ensure that your cart is out for pickup before 7am.

• Environmental Management Department:
• Administrative Offices will be closed Monday, December 24 - Wednesday, December 26 in observance of the Christmas holiday and will reopen on Thursday, December 27.
• Administrative offices will be closed on Tuesday, January 1 in observance of New Year’s Day.

• Bees Ferry Landfill
• The landfill will be open normal hours on Monday, December 24 but will be closed on Tuesday, December 25.
• The landfill will resume normal hours on Wednesday, December 26 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• The landfill will be closed on Tuesday, January 1
• The landfill will resume normal hours on Wednesday, January 2 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Staffed Convenience Centers
• Staffed convenience centers will be closed Monday, December 24 and Tuesday, December 25, except the Bees Ferry Convenience Center, which will be open on Monday, December 24 from 7:30 a.m. – 4p.m. but closed on Tuesday, December 25.
• Staffed convenience centers will resume normal hours on Wednesday, December 26, except the Signal Point Road Convenience Center, which will open on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Staffed convenience centers will be closed on Tuesday, January 1 for New Year’s Day.
• The Romney Street Convenience Center will remain temporarily closed; the recycling containers located outside the convenience center gate will still be available.

Charleston County’s Environmental Management Department is asking citizens to go green this holiday season by recycling Christmas trees and by following other helpful tips to lessen the environmental impact. 

To recycle Christmas trees and greenery, follow these instructions:

• Remember to remove all decorations such as lights, tinsel, ornaments, etc.
• Some municipalities will pick them up curbside, or they can be taken to a convenience center. The trees picked up curbside are transported to the Bees Ferry Compost Facility to be ground and composted.
• Residents who drop off a tree at the Bees Ferry Compost Facility from January 2 - 9 will receive a free bag of compost (one bag per customer).

All paper, including gift wrapping, cardboard and other products (plastic bottles & containers, glass bottles & jars and aluminum & steel cans) can also be recycled through the curbside program and at the numerous drop-site locations and convenience centers located throughout the County. The convenience centers also accept used motor oil, used electronics (televisions, printers, monitors and computers only), household hazardous materials, batteries, paint, and compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).

Note: Please flatten all cardboard boxes before placing in your recycling cart. If you have oversized boxes, please cut them down to 3 x 3 ft. to ensure they will fit in the recycling truck. Stack extra cardboard next to your recycling cart.

Below are other helpful tips you can follow for environmental awareness this holiday season:

Decorating:

• If you buy a live tree, recycle it!
• Buy LED lights to reduce energy consumption and extend the lifespan of holiday lights.
• Decorate your tree with household items such as strings of popcorn and berries instead of tinsel.

Gift Giving:

·         Recycle all paper including gift wrap, tissue paper, gift bags, boxes and cardboard.

·         Buy holiday cards printed on recycled paper. Wrap gifts in newspaper comics or wrapping paper made with recycled content.

·         Avoid purchasing over-packaged items. Drop off packaging material such as Styrofoam peanuts and bubble wrap at your local shipping store; they will gladly reuse it.

·         Remember to recycle outdated electronics.

Entertaining:

• Use reusable cups, plates and utensils.
• Use cloth napkins and tablecloths instead of disposable ones.
• Recycle at your holiday party.

Cooking:

• Compost food waste with yard clippings in a backyard home composting program.
• Purchase only as much food as needed and be sure to store and prepare properly to avoid food waste generation. Not only will this reduce waste, but it will make your food dollars go further.

For more information on recycling, contact the Charleston County Environmental Management Department at (843) 720-7111 or visit recycle.charlestoncounty.org.