All 47 State Parks now have recycling available to guests.
The South Carolina State Park Service will become the first state park system in the country to offer recycling services for paper, plastic, aluminum and glass commodities at all its parks.
Participating with the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism (SCPRT) in the Recycling at the Park program are the S.C. Department of Health & Environmental Control (DHEC), PalmettoPride, the statewide anti-litter non-profit organization, and Sonoco Recycling Inc. of Hartsville, an international provider of recycling products and services.
The program was formally launched on Monday, April 12, with a press conference at Sesquicentennial State Park in Columbia.
“Because of the natural location of our most popular parks, and the economic realities of the recycling business, we have not been able to collect and send off recyclable materials as we’ve wished, until now,” said Chad Prosser, director of SCPRT.
The partnership includes a baler donated by Sonoco Recycling and installed at Hunting Island State Park near Beaufort. The beachfront park is the state’s most heavily visited and has not been able to provide comprehensive recycling because of its remote location.
The 48-inch baler can package up to four tons of aluminum, plastic and paper per hour and the materials will be trucked away for recycling by Sonoco Recycling, which also plans to install three more balers at other heavily used state parks by the end of the year. The four balers represent a $35,000 investment in the state’s environmental future, the company said.
“Sonoco Recycling has a number of successful program partnerships with the state and its entities, and this particular partnership further represents the strength of commitment to environmental responsibility felt by many in this great state,” said Marcy Thompson, division vice president and general manager of Sonoco Recycling.
DHEC’s Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling is providing recycling containers and educational materials at the parks and the agency said it is particularly excited to be involved in a first-of-its-kind program.
“The program being unveiled today is unique in that is the first such program in the nation that offers recycling at each state park and historical site,” said Jim Joy, assistant deputy commissioner at DHEC. “Recycling, of course, has many well-known benefits, including conserving natural resources, reducing pollution, saving energy and promoting environmental stewardship.”
PalmettoPride will participate in recycling awareness programs, as well as provide vehicle trash bags and educational materials at the parks and clean up efforts near the parks.
“Our guiding principle is that the key to eradicating litter is to change behavior that causes one to litter. Recycling at the Park is a great opportunity to show everyone that South Carolina is serious about litter and recycling,” said Linda Shadel, PalmettoPride’s director of operations.
The Recycling at the Park program will extend recycling operations already in place at many of the parks. Volunteers will separate and prepare recyclables for pick up at individual parks, each of which has their own arrangements with material handlers.
“While we have been recycling for a long time, and while recycling is not a new thing, what makes this development most important is that we are now able to have a significant recycling program at all 47 of our state park properties,” said Phil Gaines, S.C. state parks director.
“And let’s not forget what, to me, is perhaps the most encouraging aspect of this new recycling program: It’s in response to a consumer demand,” Gaines said. “For a long time, our customers – the people who visit and appreciate and use our state parks – have asked us for the ability to properly recycle while they’re there.
“Now we can provide that.”
http://www.facebook.com/notes.php?id=92642903165#!/SC.State.Parks
Back
News Home
