Charleston County Environmental Management Holiday Schedule and Recycling Tips

Charleston County Environmental Management has announced the following Holiday Schedule and shared some recycling tips:

Environmental Management Department – Administrative Offices:

• Closed Thursday, November 25 and Friday, November 26 in observance of Thanksgiving. Will reopen Monday, November 29.
• Closed Friday, December 24, Monday, December 27 and Tuesday, December 28 in observance of the Christmas holiday. Will reopen Wednesday, December 29.
• Closed on Friday, December 31 in observance of New Year’s Day. Will reopen Monday, January 3, 2022.

Curbside Pickup:

• There will be no residential curbside collection on Thursday, November 25 in observance of Thanksgiving. Recycling normally picked up on Thursdays will be collected on Friday, November 26.
• There will be no residential curbside collection on Monday, December 27 in observance of the Christmas holiday. Collection will resume on Tuesday, December 28 with holiday makeup days occurring on the day following your regularly scheduled pick up day.

Note: Please allow for delays during the holidays due to anticipated heavy volume on routes. Residents should place carts curbside by 7 a.m. to ensure pick up.

Staffed Convenience Centers:

• Closed Thursday, November 25 and Friday, November 26. Will reopen Saturday, November 27.
• Closed Friday, December 24 and Saturday, December 25. Will reopen Monday, December 27.
• Closed on Friday, December 31 and Saturday, January 1, 2022. Will reopen Monday, January 3.

Charleston County’s Environmental Management Department is asking citizens to go green this holiday season by composting Christmas trees, used cooking oil, and other accepted items. Follow the helpful tips below to lessen your environmental impact.

Composting Christmas trees and greenery:

• Remember to remove all decorations such as lights, tinsel, ornaments, etc.
• Some municipalities will pick trees up curbside, or they can be taken to a convenience center. The trees picked up curbside are transported to the McGill Bees Ferry Compost Facility to be ground and composted.

Used cooking oil can be dropped off at one of Charleston County’s eight staffed Convenience Centers.

All paper, including gift wrapping, flattened cardboard boxes, 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 fit in your recycling cart. Overflow recyclable material (including cardboard) may be dropped off at any recycling dropsite location.

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

Decorating:

• If you buy a live tree, compost 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, berries, or other natural items instead of tinsel.
• Leave holiday lights out of your recycling cart.

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 (TV’s, printers, monitors, and computers only) at a staffed Convenience Center.

Entertaining:

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

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.
• Drop off your used cooking oil at one of Charleston County’s eight staffed convenience centers.

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

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