Charleston County now offering curbside recycling of cardboard

Image by Flickr user patrick h. lauke

Frustrated you can't recycle cardboard with your cans, glass, and paper? Well good news, you now can in Charleston County.

The change is no doubt being pushed by the county's need to hit 40% recycling of household waste.

Here's all you need to know from the press release:

During last Saturday’s 11th Annual Earth Day Festival, Charleston County Council member Colleen Condon announced that Charleston County’s Environmental Management Department has expanded its recycling program to accept corrugated cardboard as part of its residential curbside recycling program. Corrugated cardboard is considered cardboard boxes with a middle “waffle-like” layer. 

In addition to cardboard, the County is now also accepting all paper items to include envelopes with plastic windows, gift wrapping paper, etc.  

“We are excited to announce that Charleston County now accepts cardboard and all types of paper in our curbside bins and dropsites,” Condon said. “If you can tear it, recycle it in your bin.” 

In honor of Earth Day, the County has compost on sale for the month of April at the Bees Ferry Landfill for $1 per bag or $5 per ton, which is half off the regular price.  

How to recycle cardboard:

  • Residents with curbside service can now place cardboard at the curb with their regular recyclables that are placed in one bin for plastic bottles, glass bottles, aluminum cans, steel cans and aerosol cans, and in another bin for paper, such as magazines, newspaper, junk mail, paperboard (examples: cereal boxes, tissue boxes, etc.) and office paper.
  • Curbside residents should flatten and place cardboard boxes, up to three feet by three feet in size, between or under their two bins or inside a separate bin. Curbside recycling in Charleston County is collected bi-weekly in the urban areas starting at 7 a.m.
  • Rural residents, as well as curbside users who have cardboard pieces larger than three feet by three feet, can drop their cardboard off at the drop site locations and County staffed Convenience Centers. Charleston County Environmental Management maintains 40 cardboard drop sites and eight Convenience Centers located throughout the County.
  • Residents in the rural parts of the County can utilize drop sites and Convenience Centers for recycling services. Drop site locations are open 24 hours per day and seven days a week and are not staffed. Convenience Centers are staffed by Environmental Management Department employees. 

Residents can call (843) 720-7111 or visit recycle.charlestoncounty.org to find out their recycling collection day, the nearest drop site location, and Convenience Center addresses and hours of operation. 

 

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