The City of Clemson suspended the curbside recycling program due to the increasing inefficiency of collecting materials that are not currently being recycled when the same material could be picked up and taken to the land fill in the course of our residential sanitation routes.  The City will reinstate the program once the market for these materials returns and allows them to be kept out of the landfill. 

Curbside recycling is being suspended because the market for recycled material has collapsed.

Click here for a Greenville News article about this collapse.

Click here for the SC DHEC report on solid waste management.

In other words, other than cardboard and clean paper, almost all other material our recycling trucks pick up ends up in the landfill. When the market improves we plan to start the program again.

Due to the lack of demand for recyclable plastics, it is especially difficult to recycle plastics from single recycle streams as vendors are very selective and strongly favor plastics from pure recycling streams.  When a recycle stream is contaminated, there is often no market for those recyclables, leaving no choice other than for them to wind up in the landfill.  Pickens County Council has invested in a new bailer, which is fully installed and operational. This will help yield a more marketable product. With the new bailer, Pickens County hopes to bail more recyclables and increase the marketability of single-stream recyclables over time.

Curbside recycling is being suspended - not eliminated. In the event that the external factors change, the City would reinstate the program.

One of the biggest strengths of single stream recycling is also its biggest weakness: one bin for everything. The ability to throw all recyclables into one bin that is taken to the curb for pickup and transport by a service is almost as easy and convenient as throwing items in the trash, then rolling the cart to the curb. Unfortunately, throwing all of these items in the same bin, which is then dumped into a truck with items from every other bin on your route leads to increased contamination, and these contaminated items end up in the landfill anyway. Even if your bin contains no contaminants, if the cardboard from your bin ends up beside a contaminated bottle with some oily residue and that oil gets on the box, the box is now also contaminated and cannot be recycled.

So, while curbside recycling programs result in a higher percentage of people recycling, a lack of knowledge – or even willful ignorance – about correct recycling practices has resulted in an increased cost for operating single stream facilities, making the practice of single-stream, curbside recycling ineffective and inefficient, not to mention expensive.

Dual stream recycling is less convenient as this model requires transporting your recyclables to a facility and sorting them into particular bins. However, this method of recycling has been shown to be significantly more effective and result in significantly lower rates of item contamination and therefore fewer intended recyclables becoming trash.

The demand for recycled materials still exists, but this shift in the market has rendered the single stream curbside model ineffective and expensive.

Recycling contamination occurs when materials are not properly cleaned or when materials are incorrectly sorted. When you are collecting recyclable materials and sorting them into bins, anything other than that specific material – even other recyclable materials – can be considered a contaminant. 

Each type of material goes into a different machine to be broken down for recycling. If a plastic bag, for instance, gets mixed in with cardboard, the plastic bag may wrap around axles in the machine, causing the machine to break down and the sorters to dig the bag out of the machine, which is both dangerous and a waste of time and energy. In the event of more extensive damage, this could also cost money. For this reason, contaminated items become trash and go into the landfill. 

Common types of contaminants include:

• Plastic bags and items made from their plastic material such as shrink wrap, bubble wrap, newspaper bags, trash bags, etc.
• Food Waste
• Loose Shredded-Paper (shredded paper should all be kept in a clear plastic bag)
• Brightly Colored Paper
• Some Beverage Cartons (depends on the recycling location)
• The Wrong Plastics (acceptable plastics varies by center)
• Hazardous Waste (check with your local facility for disposal of these containers
• Bio-Hazardous Waste (syringes, needles, diapers, sanitary products)
• Frozen Food Containers
• Unrinsed or Metal-Capped Glass
• Small items (smaller than a credit card) which can jam machines

1. Keep your recyclables separated in labeled bins. Consider adding what can and cannot be recycled in each of these bins as a reference for yourself and others when disposing of items. 
2. Be sure all items are clean and dry – no food residue, oil, grease, or liquids (including water).
3. If you’re unsure of what can be recycled and how to do so, contact your recycling provider. 
4. Avoid “aspirational cycling” or “wish-cycling,” meaning throwing something in the recycling that you hope can be recycled and will eventually end up where it needs to be. 

Mecklenburg County has compiled a variety of helpful information on how to Recycle Right.

Recycle Right Video

Recycle Right Presentation

7 Rs of Waste Reduction Video

7 Rs of Waste Reduction Presentation

Like many other things, the cost to provide services has increased. One example of this can be seen in fuel costs. In FY2021, the City budgeted $448,000 in fuel costs. We ended the year with total fuel costs of $620,630. In the FY2022 budget, the cost for sanitation services is $1,835,200. The $15 monthly sanitation fee generates $780,000. The remaining $1,055,200 difference is subsidized with property taxes. In order for the sanitation cost and fee to break even, the fee would need to be $35/month.

The City retained our recycling team and has reallocated them to other residential sanitation services such as brush, garbage, and debris pickup. The City is also retaining the recycling truck and will be using it to transport recyclables to the Pickens County Landfill and Kite Hill Recycling Center.

The City of Clemson encourages those who wish to continue recycling to do so. Residents will still be able to drop-off their recyclables at the City’s Public Works Facility located at 1155 Old Central Road.

Click here for more about the City of Clemson drop-off facility.

Click the image below to view a map of this location.

Drop off is also available at County Recycling Centers:

• Kite Hill - 148 Kite Hill Drive, Clemson - (864) 643-6030 - Click here for more information about the Kite Hill facility. 
• Easley - 2053 Old Liberty Road, Liberty - (864) 859-3523
• BES PAC - 2630 Farr’s Bridge Road, Easley - (864) 859-1041
• Willow Springs - 127 Willow Springs Road, Six Mile - (864) 868-7853
• North Old Pendleton - 1151 North Old Pendleton Road, Liberty - (864) 855-6203
• Chastain Road - 600 Chastain Road, Central - (864) 639-0855
• Dacusville - 190 Raxter Road, Easley - (864) 836-2509
• Table Rock - 209 Country Creek Drive, Pickens - (864) 878-5823
• Midway - 109 Cold Springs Church Road, Pickens - (864) 898-0413
• Pickens County Landfill - 2053 Old Liberty Road, Liberty, SC 29657

Another way you can play your part is by participating in the Burn Foundation of America "Can It" Recycling Program at Clemson Fire Station #2. You can support the mission of the Burn Foundation and be kind to the environment by recycling aluminum cans. It's as easy as 1-2-3.

1. Collect your cans and place them in a plastic bag
2. Drop the bag in a Can-It trailer at Clemson Fire Station #2 at 740 Issaqueena Trail
3. Enjoy the satisfaction of helping burn patients while making our planet a nicer place to live.

Adjust Your Daily Habits

• Keep the thermostat higher in the summer and lower in the winter, especially when you are not at home.
• Unplug any electronics not in use.
• Avoid using lights you do not need and turn lights off when you leave a room or are otherwise not using them
• Utilize sleep timers on your television, especially if you have a tendency to fall asleep watching tv.
• Only run washing machines and dishwashers with a full load. 
• If weather and space allow, utilize clotheslines to air dry clothes rather than running the dryer.

Adjust Your Purchasing Habits

• Buy items in bulk or in refillable packages to reduce needed packaging.
• Buy only items you will use or foods you will consume.
• If buying in bulk will provide more than you will use, split the items and costs with friends or family members.
• Purchase electronics from companies with buy back programs.

Adjust Your Disposal Habits

• Try to upgrade or repair your electronics or high-dollar appliances before recycling them. 
• If you are disposing of items still in usable condition, donate to someone in need or to a charity organization.
• If you are disposing of items that are not in usable condition, salvage what you can. For instance, old bath towels can be cut up and used for cleaning cloths. 
• Use integrated pest management to reduce pesticides.(Or, if you purchase your own pesticides and weed killers, offer any leftover or excess to neighbors or family.)
• Use rechargeable batteries rather than disposable batteries.
• Create a compost area for food waste and any other compostable items. 

Adjust Your Paper and Packaging Consumption Habits

• Switch to paperless billing and other communications.
• Reuse paper or utilize your phone's notes app for scratch paper rather than using a new page of paper.
• Avoid using disposable plates, cutlery, sandwich bags, straws, etc in favor of washable, reusable goods or, if you need to use disposable items, purchase compostable if possible. 
• Trade bottled water for reusable and refillable bottles.
• Take reusable bags to the store and reusable mugs to the coffee shop. 
• If you prefer to use straws, purchase reusable straws and bring one with you when you go out. 

Adjust Your Travel Habits

• Avoid unnecessary travel in vehicles that use fossil fuels.
• Bike, walk, carpool, or use public transit whenever possible. Maybe consider dedicating at least one day every week or month to alternative transportation to help formulate the habit. 

Adjust Your Recycling Habits

• Before transporting materials, be sure that item is accepted at the facility. If possible, keep recyclables separated into categories. When sorting – whether at home or at the facility – do so carefully and consciously.  
• Be sure that all materials intended for recycling are clean and dry.
• Locate a recycling facility on or near a normal route and designate a particular day to drop off the recycling.
• Consider organizing a neighborhood drop-off point and a designated drop-off person, which could rotate to someone else for each drop-off, to help those unable to transport their own recyclables and encourage those hesitant to commit to dropping off recyclables. Consider doing the same with your workplace, school, etc.