MONCKS CORNER, S.C. – (Thursday, April 18, 2019) A new recycling facility in Berkeley County, RePower South (RPS), will soon begin major production. At that time, RPS will be processing all the County’s household waste. The facility will extract the recyclable material and pay the County to landfill the residual. RPS will also pay the County a lease to operate on the County landfill as well as a revenue share of the sale of the recyclable material and fuel.
The County will still provide cardboard and mixed paper recycling at the Berkeley County Convenience Centers and Recycling Drop-Off Sites where those containers are currently located. The current recycling contract the County has with Republic Services will not be renewed after August 31, 2019. All of the County’s household waste from normal curbside collection will automatically be delivered to the RPS facility. Once there, the waste will be processed in the state-of-the-art facility that segregates recyclables from the waste and delivers them to commodity markets to be re-used into new products. RePower South also plans to extract other non-recyclable waste to produce a low carbon renewable fuel that replaces coal in local industry. RePower South has a goal of diverting 60 percent of the overall waste stream from landfill.
Contact your local hauler for any questions regarding pickup.
A list below answers some frequently asked questions the County has received.
- Will the pick-up day for trash and yard debris change? No, this date will remain the same. There will be no change to your trash and yard debris pick-up. Please note that RePower South does not process yard debris. It will be delivered straight to the landfill as normal.
- When will this program begin? RePower has begun operations and is currently processing approximately one half of the County waste as it commissions the plant. Expectations are RePower will be processing 100% of the County’s waste in the coming weeks. Berkeley County will issue a press release when the facility is fully operational. Until then, please direct any questions about the timeline to RePower South at 843-823-4499 or .
- Will this service be free or will the residents be charged; and if so, what is the cost? There is no extra charge for recycling or for the RePower South program. Residents will continue to be charged for trash pick-up as they currently are.
- Will RePower South recycle glass? Not at this time. Please contact RePower South directly at 843-823-4499 or for the full list of items they recycle.
- Whom should residents contact if they have pick-up issues or other collection questions? The residents should contact their current waste hauler. RePower South does not pick up any trash. All trash collection services and providers will remain the same as they are today.
- Will the current pick-up location for trash and yard debris remain the same or will it change? There is no change. The location of curbside pick-up remains the same.
Additional information on the new state-of-the-art facility and how your recyclables will be recovered can be found on the RePower South website: https://www.repowersouth.com/.
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– Prepared by the Berkeley County Public Information Office –
