Decal issues? Long wait lines? Tell us your experience with Beaufort Co.’s trash dumps
The 5,000 people a day visiting one of Beaufort County’s convenience centers to drop off trash and recycling now have to use a decal. And two of the trash dumps are no longer in operation.
The decals, which can be placed on your car windshield or stored on your phone, are part of the county’s attempt to curtail illegal dumping in the area and cut costs at the convenience centers. Officials say the 25-year-old trash dumps are too expensive to operate and lead to traffic, environmental and safety problems.
But the new system, the closure of two sites and the reduction in operating hours have left some residents worried about long waits and illegal dumping.
Some say they still haven’t received their decals.
Others say the new system deprives residents of the “convenience” the centers provided.
“The wait at the Bluffton dump is ridiculous,” Bluffton resident Laura Casey told The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette. “The line to wait to get to the scanning lady was all the way out to the road. It was silly.”
Help The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette newspapers track how the new program is working by using our short form to report any problems you’ve experienced.
Specific responses and general information submitted through this form may be used as the basis for future reporting.
We will not quote you directly or use your name unless we contact you and have explicit consent. Due to the volume of responses, we may not contact each respondent.
Residents with questions or concerns about the program can also submit comments to Beaufort County’s solid waste and recycling department at https://www.beaufortcountysc.gov/solid-waste-and-recycle/convenience-centers/decal-service-request.html.
In an email to the newspapers Thursday, Assistant Administrator Jared Fralix said the county understands “some of the hardships along the way as we roll-out a new program.”
“The goal of the decal system is to eliminate the users who should not be using the centers (ie – contractors and out-of-towners) such that Beaufort County residents don’t pay the cost of disposal for those illicit users,” he wrote.
About the new trash dump program
As part of Beaufort County’s attempt to cut costs and stop illegal dumping, decals are now required at all county trash dumps.
Late last month the county reported that about 23,500 people had applied for a decal and about 19,500 decals have been sent out to Beaufort County residents.
Approximately 97,000 households are eligible for the service.
To receive a decal, Beaufort County property owners must either apply online on the county’s new website, or they can fill out an application in person at one of the centers.
Each household will be allowed to visit a convenience center no more than three times a week.
This story was originally published January 7, 2021 at 10:24 AM.
