ISSUE: 'Going green'

OUR VIEW: Recycling ultimately will pay off -- in money and for Earth

The Times and Democrat today puts a focus on "going green" with a special section on ways you can be environmentally friendly -- ideas to save energy, money and the Earth.

A key ingredient in most people's definition of sustainability and protecting our planet is recycling. A lot of citizens are very serious about recycling -- and for multiple reasons. Not the least of them is money.

A recent letter inquired about Orangeburg County's efforts, complaining that emphasis on recycling seems to have taken a back seat at the county convenience sites for collecting trash and garbage.

For this day when "going green" is the emphasis, we asked Orangeburg County Deputy Administrator Earl Whalen to address the recycling issue.

First, Whalen said the country continues to put emphasis on recycling despite the fact that the process continues to be an overall expense. The day is coming when recycling will be profitable in terms of money, but as yet the importance is "enhancing quality of life and the environment for our children and grandchildren."

The ability to recycle is very much market-driven, he said. "A lot of what we recycle is driven by the market and costs more to recycle than to dispose."

Not so with cardboard and newspaper. So good is the market that the county has constructed a special facility at the landfill collection site to recover as much of both as possible. Whalen expects it will take a couple of years to recover the county investment before seeing profit from cardboard and paper.

Scrap metals are another priority. The market is strong for "anything made of metal." White goods are also recycled. The convenience sites offer spots for aluminum collection, but Whalen said very few cans -- a top source of alumninum -- are deposited with the county. With consumers getting 90 cents a pound for cans, many people are recycling by taking aluminum to scrap dealers.

Plastics were a good market a few years ago, but no so much today, Whalen said. "We're still recovering plastics" but it is not profitable.

Convenience centers no longer offer receptacles for glass. "Glass is one of the most cumbersome (commodities) to recycle," he said. The glass must be sorted by color. Plus the broken glass is a hazard at the sites and to personnel. "It is not an item that can be handled easily,'' with most counties discontinuing glass recycling.

The county sites also offer recycling of oil, oil filters and cans, tires and vehicle batteries.

In the end, Whalen sees a break-even point for the county in possibly three to four years.

With "going green" a growing priority for our economy and society, his projection may be on target.

According to the S.C. Department of Commerce, recycling already is big business in South Carolina with nearly 300 companies employing more than 15,600 people and generating an economic impact in excess of $6.5 billion. The businesses help companies of all sizes, government agencies, educational institutions and a number of other organizations meet their sustainability goals of reducing waste, reusing materials and conserving resources.

A study conducted by Frank Hefner and Calvin Blackwell, economists at the College of Charleston, found the recycling industry is growing and new markets for recyclables are emerging. As such, the recycling industry is anticipated to grow at an annual rate of 12 percent each year over five years, leading to a potential $11 billion economic impact.

And the study concludes that recycling as whole is already profitable. "In 2004, the cost to landfill one ton of municipal solid waste was $32. Adjusting for inflation, if all of the recyclable material in landfills had been recycled, that would have saved more than $30 million," Hefner has said.

That alone is powerful incentive for government to advance recycling efforts. For citizens, the key is remaining committed to the process. Enjoy making money on recyclables when possible. Look for ways to expand your personal efforts to recycle and reuse, reducing your individual waste stream. It's going to pay off -- for all of us.

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