DINA ‘talks trash’ during final meeting of the year

On Dec. 3, the final Daniel Island Neighborhood Association (DINA) meeting ended with a conversation about trash and recycling.

Six months ago, the island switched to a single-stream recycling system. Single-stream refers to a process where all papers, plastics, metals, and other materials are mixed together in a single bin and picked up by a collection truck instead of being sorted and separated by the consumer. Recyclables are recovered at the RePower South facility in Moncks Corner using robotic technology to segregate the material.

A change in routine is never easy and residents have questions and concerns. As outgoing DINA President Marie Delcioppo said, “It’s a little jarring when you just toss plastic or paper into the garbage. There’s still a learning curve.”

Representatives Karl Stechmesser, RePower Plant Manager and a Daniel Island resident, and Brian Guilhuly, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of RePower South, attended the meeting to explain the new recycling process. According to Stechmesser, the facility is running at 75% of its capacity. Berkeley County has committed to 120,000 tons per year, or approximately 10,000 tons per month. Charleston County is using the facility for 40,000 tons per year. At full capacity, the facility would be processing 200,000 tons per year.

The $60 million dollar Berkeley County facility, constructed at the landfill, is the most sophisticated in the country, according to Guilhuly. He explained that RePower South was formed with a vision to recapture more recyclable materials; to develop the technology to capture the items that consumers did not choose to separate. The end goal is to re-use materials so people aren’t as dependent on landfills.

RePower South is able to produce an alternative low carbon fuel that replaces coal, in addition to repurposed materials for consumer goods.

The machines cannot handle bulky waste (such as appliances), yard waste, textiles, and glass.

Elizabeth and Chris Fisher of Fisher Recycling then took the stage to discuss their business-to-business approach of trash collection and their goals to expand their collection range in 2020. Fisher Recycling opened in 1992 and collects glass and paper in the tri-county area. At their North Charleston operation, they recycle 100 percent of items captured. Daniel Island residents were particularly interested in how they could work with the company to recycle bottles and other discarded glass, which RePower’s facility does not covert.

Daniel Island is a desirable location for a glass pilot program. Fisher said, “Our goal is to have glass recycling drop off stations on the island and the Clements Ferry corridor in early 2020. As a private hauler, the truth is, we need the financial support (in the form of grants) of Berkeley County and/or the City of Charleston to make this happen.”

On Nov. 15, despite stormy weather, Fisher Recycling hosted a successful pop up event at Dockery’s and collected more than 1,000 pounds of glass bottles that will be used to make recycled glass countertops. Additional pop ups will be planned in the coming months and will be announced on Facebook.

Fisher also expressed an interest in collaborating with RePower South to develop a solution for extracting the glass collected during the single-stream process.

For more information, visit www.repowersouth.com or www.fisherrecycling.com.