Most Beaufort Co. dumps will require a decal in 2021. Why is Hilton Head an exception?
An average of 5,000 people a day visit Beaufort County’s convenience centers to drop off furniture, large amounts of trash and other items.
Starting Jan. 1, users will need a special car decal to go to all the convenience centers except one.
Hilton Head’s convenience center needs a $500,000 road construction project to support the county’s new decal system.
Since the project still needs to be approved — and then the work completed — before the county can check decals, the system won’t roll out on the Summit Drive convenience center until at least March 1.
The decal system is designed to limit use of convenience centers to two visits per week and prevent contractors or other companies from filling the centers with non-household trash.
Hilton Head’s convenience center is the busiest in the county, averaging around 1,200 users per day, according to Beaufort County Special Projects Director Dave Wilhelm.
The road construction on Summit Drive will add a bypass road to the entrance of the convenience center, allowing traffic to move freely beyond the entrance without being backed up by those waiting to have their decal scanned.
The project is a joint venture between the town and the county, which is implementing the decal system. It will be financed by road usage fees and needs to be reviewed by the town’s design review board and planning commission.
About convenience center decal system
Starting Jan. 1 at all other county convenience centers, users will need to have a decal on their car and be scanned at the entrance to the center.
The decals are free and may be obtained by filling out Beaufort County’s application online.
You must be a property owner to apply for the decal, meaning residents who are renting apartments or homes must contact the property owner to get a decal.
The decal registers the number of visits the owner has made to convenience centers around the county. Residents are limited to two visits to any centers each week.
The County’s website says that in addition to the physical decal, residents will receive a digital copy that will allow them to have it on their phone and for other members of their household if they are using a different vehicle.
The system is intended to reduce traffic and illegal dumping and was recommended in a 2019 report by consultant Goldsmith Resources LLC.
