This Thanksgiving don’t toss your leftovers. Food waste is the No. 1 item thrown away by Americans and DHEC leads an effort to cut down on food waste across South Carolina. If you’ve tired yourself out from creating new recipes with your Turkey Day leftovers, try feeding people instead of our landfills.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCIV) – The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control celebrated the Great American smokeout by reminding people of the resources it offers for those looking to quit smoking. The American Cancer Society sets aside the third Thursday in November to encourage tobacco users to quit.
SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) — Health officials say a person may have been exposed to rabies in Spartanburg earlier this month.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control said a bat was found between Converse Heights and Beaumont Village in downtown Spartanburg on Nov. 7.
By Richard Chesley, DHEC Recycling Program manager
The holidays. We do more, buy more, eat more. And, we throw away more.
Think about it. The food waste, shopping bags, packaging, ribbons and bows, wrapping paper and boxes – it all adds up. In fact, it’s estimated that between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, Americans throw away about 25 percent more trash than any other time of the year.
In South Carolina, it is estimated that we dispose of nearly 960,000 tons of waste between November and the end of January – comprising 31 percent of the total waste disposed of in a year!
But it doesn’t have to be the most wasteful time of the year. The holidays are a perfect time to reduce, reuse and recycle.
Give more, waste less gift
Think about gifts that make memories, not waste. For example, you could give tickets to a game or concert, a membership to a gym or fitness classes, gift certificates for a massage or manicure, classes to learn a new hobby or even give some homemade cookies in a reusable tin.If something more tangible is on your list – Keep it simple. One thoughtful gift is better than too many that may become unwanted.
Let’s wrap it up (or not)
Who needs wrapping paper? Use a simple ribbon or bow for large gifts and try reusing old maps, blueprints, or pages from the Sunday comics for a unique and eco-friendly gift presentation they will love. Be sure to save reusable bows, boxes and bags for next year!
It’s in the cards
Consider sending e-cards rather than paper ones this year or look for recycled-content holiday postcards that will save you on postage and envelopes.
Tree-cycle
When the holidays are over, remember to recycle your Christmas tree. Call your local recycling coordinator or click here to learn where you can take your tree to be mulched or composted.
Make a grocery list, and check it twice Did you know that food waste is the biggest contributor to landfills? Help reduce wasted food by buying only what you need, donating what you don’t and safely storing leftovers so you can get the most out of your meals. For the food waste you do generate, try composting – it’s a gift to your garden.
Recycle more
If we had just one thing on our holiday wish list, it would be to recycle during the holidays and throughout the year. It’s easy, it supports jobs and it helps keep South Carolina clean and beautiful. From empty green bean cans to drink bottles to tires and trees – click here to find what and where to recycle near you.
For more information about recycling and other solid waste management topics, please call the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling at 1-800-768-7348 or visit www.scdhec.gov/recycle.
Pictured above: Former Bell Buoy Seafood Plant is now Bay Creek Park in the Town of Edisto Beach.
By Bryony Wardell
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the award of $300,000 in supplemental funding to the South Carolina Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) to help transform communities in South Carolina by cleaning up contaminated Brownfields properties. A Brownfield is a property on which expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence, or perceived presence, of contamination.
“These funds – granted to communities who have already achieved success in their work to clean up and redevelop Brownfields – will help boost local economies, create local jobs and protect people from harmful pollution by expediting Brownfield projects,” said Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. “The RLF supplemental recipients are some of the nation’s top performers. The RLF funding announced today will help sustain that incredible progress.”
The purpose of the RLF is to provide financial incentives in the form of below-market interest rates and limited debt forgiveness to help local governments, non-profits, and businesses undertake the cleanup of contamination from Brownfields across the state.
Before: Kitson Mill Brownfield site in 2011, one of the beneficiaries of South Carolina’s RLF program.
After: Kitson Mill in February 2013 after the property was recovered and ready for redevelopment.
Through these grants, EPA seeks to strengthen the marketplace and encourage stakeholders to leverage the resources needed to clean up and redevelop Brownfields. When loans are repaid, the loan amount is returned into the fund and re-lent to other borrowers, providing an ongoing source of capital within a community.
“South Carolina Brownfield RLF is one of the most successful RLF financing programs in the Southeast, providing remediation for 11 Brownfield properties across the state so far,” said DHEC Bureau of Land and Waste Management Director Daphne Neel. “A reinvestment in South Carolina communities, the EPA’s support will go a long way towards helping us continue to reclaim and redevelop our state’s existing Brownfields.”
South Carolina’s Brownfield RLF program has loaned more than $7.5 million to date to enable the cleanup of sites such as large textile mills, landfills, scrap metal yards and contaminated industrial and commercial property. On these sites, new uses are emerging such as medical clinics, recreational parks, and shovel-ready, large-scale commercial and industrial sites in highly desirable growth areas.
To learn more about the Brownfields RLF, please visit our website or contact Robert Hodges at (803) 898-0919 or hodgesrf@dhec.sc.gov.
Before: Former Bush’s Recycling site before reclamation.
After: The former Bush’s Recycling Brownfield is now the new site for HopeHealth in Florence, SC.
Click here to see a presentation on SC Brownfields recovery success stories.
Live Healthy S.C. 