PICKENS COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – The demand for glass recyclables has decreased due to the lack of interest from vendors who normally buy it. When glass can’t be sold for recycling, a lot of it ends up in landfills such as the one in Pickens County Landfill.
Pickens County Solid Waste Director, Steve Raines, along with county council came up with a glass upcycling contest as a way to get the community involved with reusing glass to essentially reduce glass waste coming into landfills.
“What we’re asking for in this contest is for citizens to come up with ideas to upcycle these materials at home, reuse them if they can or buy materials that you can reuse in your own home or find other ways to utilize it at home so that it doesn’t come to the landfill. If we can keep it from coming here then everything gets a little bit better for everybody,” said Raines.
According to Raines, when glass comes to the landfill, it takes up air space and makes it harder for landfill workers to maneuver around the landfill.
When glass comes to the landfill it is at the taxpayers expense.
“Most landfills run on a very tight budget anyway. So these recyclables have to take care of themselves payroll wise, fuel wise maintenance and the equipment that we use is not cheaper equipment. So we’re really pushing our equipment further and further with no return on that investment for it,” said Raines.
The winner of the contest will receive a weekend stay at one of the cabins at Mount Creek County Park on Lake Keowee.
Participants have until 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, November 16th to submit their entry.
To view contest rules and details, click here.
