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Union County going to comingle recycling
Edited by : AL CIRCLE
4 min read
The implementation of a new method of recycling will make it easier for the people of Union County to recycle while saving the county as much as $50,000 a year.
Public Works Director John Gibson announced that the county will implement “comingle or single stream recycling” at its recycling convenience centers by the middle of August. Gibson said comingle or single stream recycling relieves residents of the necessity of separating some of their recyclable materials from each other before bringing them to the convenience center for disposal. He said this makes it easier for people to recycle which in turn encourages those already recycling to recycle more and those who are not to begin doing so.
“When you go to a recycling center now you have to separate your plastics, your paper, glass, cardboard, and aluminum cans,” Gibson said. “With comingle recycling all this — plastics one and two, glass, cardboard, paper and aluminum cans — will go together.
“It makes it easier for citizens to recycle, it encourages people to recycle,” Gibson said. “In some cases where counties have switched to this they’ve seen a tripling in the amount of recycling.”
Gibson said that 25 counties in South Carolina including Spartanburg, York, Cherokee, Chester, Laurens and Greenville have already gone to comingle or single stream recycling and all have seen an increase in recycling by their residents. He said he’s hoping the increased convenience will do the same in Union County.
“It should make it a lot easier for citizens in terms of time spent recycling,” Gibson said. “We hope this will encourage people to recycle.”
Gibson said the switch to comingle recycling will also save the county up to $50,000 a year because the county will no longer bear the costs of preparing and transporting the materials for recycling. The materials will instead be collected and transported at no charge to the county by the company that will be recycling them.
“It goes to Pratt Industries in Duncan,”Gibson said. “They have a state-of-the-art automated recycling facility where the materials will be separated for recycling.
“What this does for us is they run their trucks and pick this up so we don’t have to,” he said. “We don’t have to bale the materials in the warehouse therefore we don’t incur all the expenses that go with that.”
Currently, recyclable materials are collected from the convenience centers and taken to the public works department in Bonham where they are baled for transport to a recycling facility. Gibson said that with comingle recycling there will no longer be a need to bale the recyclables and therefore the baler will no longer be used.
In addition to the baler no longer being used, Gibson said fewer recycling bins will be needed as the comingled materials will be placed in the same bin.
The savings also include a reduction in personnel costs which Gibson was achieved through the retirement of a county employee who worked in the warehouse. Gibson said the employee has not been replaced and with the implementation of comingle recycling will not be replaced.
While they will no longer have to separate their recyclable plastics, glass, cardboard, paper, and aluminum cans from each other, Gibson said residents will still have to separate them from household garbage. Batteries, used motor oil, white goods, metal, and carpets must continued to be separated for recycling as well. He added that, as is the case currently, residents disposing of cardboard are encouraged to break it down and make sure that it is clean of any food materials.
Comingle recycling is the latest step the county has taken to reduce costs while maintaining it recycling program. As of July 1, the county implemented new hours at 10 of its recycling convenience centers and close the center on South Pinckney Street. The changes are projected to save the county $145,000 in fiscal 2013-2014 while enabling it to continue to operate its remaining recycling convenience centers. The 10 remaining centers are open from 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
Read more: Union Daily Times - County going to comingle recycling
Public Works Director John Gibson announced that the county will implement “comingle or single stream recycling” at its recycling convenience centers by the middle of August. Gibson said comingle or single stream recycling relieves residents of the necessity of separating some of their recyclable materials from each other before bringing them to the convenience center for disposal. He said this makes it easier for people to recycle which in turn encourages those already recycling to recycle more and those who are not to begin doing so.
“When you go to a recycling center now you have to separate your plastics, your paper, glass, cardboard, and aluminum cans,” Gibson said. “With comingle recycling all this — plastics one and two, glass, cardboard, paper and aluminum cans — will go together.
“It makes it easier for citizens to recycle, it encourages people to recycle,” Gibson said. “In some cases where counties have switched to this they’ve seen a tripling in the amount of recycling.”
Gibson said that 25 counties in South Carolina including Spartanburg, York, Cherokee, Chester, Laurens and Greenville have already gone to comingle or single stream recycling and all have seen an increase in recycling by their residents. He said he’s hoping the increased convenience will do the same in Union County.
“It should make it a lot easier for citizens in terms of time spent recycling,” Gibson said. “We hope this will encourage people to recycle.”
Gibson said the switch to comingle recycling will also save the county up to $50,000 a year because the county will no longer bear the costs of preparing and transporting the materials for recycling. The materials will instead be collected and transported at no charge to the county by the company that will be recycling them.
“It goes to Pratt Industries in Duncan,”Gibson said. “They have a state-of-the-art automated recycling facility where the materials will be separated for recycling.
“What this does for us is they run their trucks and pick this up so we don’t have to,” he said. “We don’t have to bale the materials in the warehouse therefore we don’t incur all the expenses that go with that.”
Currently, recyclable materials are collected from the convenience centers and taken to the public works department in Bonham where they are baled for transport to a recycling facility. Gibson said that with comingle recycling there will no longer be a need to bale the recyclables and therefore the baler will no longer be used.
In addition to the baler no longer being used, Gibson said fewer recycling bins will be needed as the comingled materials will be placed in the same bin.
The savings also include a reduction in personnel costs which Gibson was achieved through the retirement of a county employee who worked in the warehouse. Gibson said the employee has not been replaced and with the implementation of comingle recycling will not be replaced.
While they will no longer have to separate their recyclable plastics, glass, cardboard, paper, and aluminum cans from each other, Gibson said residents will still have to separate them from household garbage. Batteries, used motor oil, white goods, metal, and carpets must continued to be separated for recycling as well. He added that, as is the case currently, residents disposing of cardboard are encouraged to break it down and make sure that it is clean of any food materials.
Comingle recycling is the latest step the county has taken to reduce costs while maintaining it recycling program. As of July 1, the county implemented new hours at 10 of its recycling convenience centers and close the center on South Pinckney Street. The changes are projected to save the county $145,000 in fiscal 2013-2014 while enabling it to continue to operate its remaining recycling convenience centers. The 10 remaining centers are open from 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
Read more: Union Daily Times - County going to comingle recycling
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