Landfills

How do landfills affect our community?

A truck dumping garbage at Palmetto Landfill, a privately owned landfill that accepts out-of-state waste, located in Spartanburg County

South Carolinians generate about 4.5 million tons of trash per year, of which only 24% is recycled.  Most of our waste ends up in landfills (71%), and the rest (5%) is incinerated¹.   South Carolina accepts out-of-state garbage as well—about 15% of the trash landfilled in South Carolina in 2008 came from other states.

The permitted capacity of existing landfills in South Carolina is more than twice the amount of waste generated in the state.  Thus, there is clearly no need for any new landfills in our State.  This excess landfill capacity:

• degrades land;
• threatens public health and the environment;
• blights our communities with excess noise, odors, and truck traffic;
• provides a disincentive to recycle; and
• invites other states to send their trash to us.

What are Upstate Forever and partner organizations doing to limit landfills?

Upstate Forever Board Member and former Wofford College President Joe Lesesne announces the formation of Spartanburg County Citizens Against the Landfill at a press conference in January, 2006. Standing beside him is Rose Mary Ritchie with the Spartanburg League of Women Voters.

In 2005, Upstate Forever was instrumental in preventing the development of a new and unnecessary “mega landfill” in southern Spartanburg County in close proximity to the Enroee River.  Spartanburg County citizens spoke out strongly against the proposed landfill and convinced members of County Council to withdraw their support for the project. 

In 2007, the South Carolina DHEC Board began the process of revising regulations governing landfill capacity.  The Board appointed a task force to make recommendations on this issue, and Upstate Forever’s Shelley Robbins served as a member of this group.

During the last three years, citizen groups have fought strongly against proposed new landfills throughout South Carolina.  Upstate Forever participated in a coalition opposing a new landfill in Anderson County, assisted a citizens group opposing a construction and debris landfill in Laurens County, and advised groups opposing large commercial landfill proposals in Williamsburg and Marlboro Counties.

Protesters rally at the State House in January, 2009 in favor of a moratorium bill to stop “mega-dumps” in their communities

In 2009, the Conservation Voters of South Carolina made landfill capacity a priority issue for the 2009 legislative session.  Though a Senate bill that would have established a two-year moratorium on all new landfill projects ultimately failed to pass, the General Assembly did approve a regulatory change recommended by the task force that reduced allowable landfill capacity in the state from 42 million tons per year to 10.8 million tons.  This is a huge improvement in state policy.

We’re not out of the woods yet.

State law in South Carolina allows for a procedural challenge to the new capacity regulation up to one year after it is published in the State Register.  Upstate Forever continues to monitor this issue and will take action, if needed, in 2010.

For further information, see:

• Landfill Capacity in South Carolina: Drawing the Line (Advocate Sum-Fall ’09)
• Dumping the Landfill (Advocate July ’06)
• Stop Wasting South Carolina (Conservation Voters of SC)

Notes:

1. See DHEC, Solid Waste Annual Report for 2008