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County recycling official briefs Port Royal on compost pilot, contamination and plastic-bag ordinance review
Summary
Jim Berry updated council on a county food-waste compost pilot requiring an online brief/test for residents to obtain access codes, contamination challenges at drop-off centers, and a county effort to close loopholes in the 2018 plastic‑bag ordinance; he urged the town to consider partnering as a 'spoke' in a hub-and-spoke grant.
At the April 8 meeting Jim Berry, a member of the Beaufort County Solid Waste and Recycling committee, briefed the Port Royal Town Council on recycling initiatives, a food-waste composting pilot, and a review of the county’s plastic-bag ordinance.
Berry described a hub-and-spoke grant that provides containers, education materials and administrative support to participating municipalities. Participants complete an online briefing and a short test; successful applicants receive a code to access designated composting containers at one of four county centers. "They've issued 607 codes to people who have taken the test," Berry said, but he noted uptake in Port Royal’s ZIP code was low and encouraged local promotion.
He also told council that contamination remains a key challenge for drop-off recycling centers: county staff will help draft RFP language to reduce contamination and improve contractor performance. Berry said recycling creates more jobs per ton than landfill disposal and cautioned that hauling distances and diesel costs affect the economics of recycling in Beaufort County.
Councilors asked how residents sign up and suggested the committee provide one‑page outreach materials; Berry said he would leave informational materials with town staff. No formal action or vote was required; council thanked Berry and asked staff to circulate the program information.
