Trash dumps in Bluffton, Beaufort are closing. What’s happening to Hilton Head’s?
Citing high costs and reports of illegal dumping, Beaufort County is closing two area convenience centers and creating a decal system for residents in the coming months.
But there’s been concern in the community about the future of the only public trash dump on Hilton Head Island.
Calls to “save our dump” were spread across social media last week after assistant town manager Josh Gruber said that Beaufort County would close the island’s convenience center by the end of the year.
Though a plan to close the center was on the table and Beaufort County Council adopted only six months of funding for the site, county leaders made their intentions clear this week — the Hilton Head site is not closing this year.
On Monday night, the county’s public facilities committee voted to keep the Hilton Head center open, but allow each household to visit the site only twice a week. The plan, which has to go to the full council for final approval, also prohibits commercial haulers from dumping construction and demolition debris at the center.
The vote comes just before the county is set to reduce hours at all 11 convenience centers starting next week, implement a decal system at all sites by next year and close the Pritchardville and Gate trash dumps in Bluffton and Beaufort by Dec. 31.
Here are the four pressing issues regarding Beaufort County’s trash dumps and where they stand:
1. The decal system
Starting Jan. 1, the county will require residents to show decals when dumping trash and recycling at the convenience centers.
The decals — free for property owners and limited to one per household — will be scanned by an attendant at each convenience center. The system is intended to reduce traffic and illegal dumping and was recommended in a November report by consultant Goldsmith Resources LLC.
Council member Brian Flewelling said Tuesday that residents will have to apply for the decals. Each household will receive one physical decal for their car. Each household member will be able to download an app for their phone.
The county has created the final version of the decals and how to apply for them. Officials will start an “education” campaign Oct. 1 to teach residents how to use the decals, according to county documents.
Staff expects to begin testing the decal system in November, according to the documents.
“Staff will visit various centers to assist residents with registration,” the documents say.
2. Reduced hours
Starting Oct. 1, the county will reduce all convenience center operating hours. The new hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Previous hours were from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The new plan also limits the smaller convenience centers — Coffin Point, Big Estate, Lobeco, Cuffy and Sheldon — to three days a week.
The Bluffton, Gate, Hilton Head, Pritchardville, Shanklin and St. Helena centers will be closed on Wednesdays.
The Sheldon and Cuffy sites will be open on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. The Big Estate, Coffin and Lobeco sites will be open Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
3. Site closures
On Dec. 31, the county will close the Pritchardville convenience center in Bluffton and the Gate center in Beaufort.
Signs informing residents of the closures have been installed at both since mid-August, according to county documents.
People who regularly drop off trash and recycling at Pritchardville and Gate will now have to travel to the next closest site.
Beaufort County officials have considered reducing the use of area convenience centers for years.
According to a solid waste study presented to council last year, the 25-year-old convenience centers are too expensive to operate and lead to traffic, environmental and safety problems.
In November 2015, County Council announced that every household would use a curbside pickup system for trash and recycling by 2020. That plan still has not come to fruition.
In January, officials debated recommendations from Abby Goldsmith, principal of the Goldsmith company, about what to do with the centers.
Over 1.6 million people visited the centers to drop off glass, cardboard, old tires and batteries, among other items, according to Goldsmith’s report, which noted that 20 percent of households in Beaufort County don’t have a curbside collection service.
4. The Hilton Head site
The three busiest convenience centers are Hilton Head, Bluffton and St. Helena, according to the Goldsmith report.
In June, when Beaufort County Council approved its budget, it allocated only six months of funding for the Hilton Head convenience center. That was because the county was still negotiating how to implement the decal system with Hilton Head officials.
Monday night, the county’s public facilities committee weighed three potential options for the Hilton Head site:
- Close the center and force Hilton Head residents to choose their own waste hauler from a list of permitted curbside vendors
- Close the center and implement a curbside pickup system operated by the county but paid for by Hilton Head
- Leave the center open for solid waste and recycling, but limit visits to twice a week using the county’s new decal system. This option also prohibits commercial haulers from dumping construction and demolition debris.
The committee decided to go with the third option, which still has to be approved by county council. The next full council meeting is scheduled for Monday.
This story was originally published September 22, 2020 at 2:09 PM.
