Recycling

PICKENS COUNTY, SC
The lack of demand for recyclable plastics has made it difficult to find vendors to accept plastics, especially those from single recycle streams where items are not sorted.  This is because vendors are only purchasing plastics for which there is a market.  When a recycle stream is contaminated by mixed plastics or waste, there is often no demand for those recyclables, and the only option is for them to go into the landfill.  Pickens County uses a dual-stream recycling method, which means that in-demand plastics #1 and #2 are placed in a bin by themselves, resulting in less contamination and a more desirable end product.  We strive to educate the public on the importance of properly sorting recyclables to only include those plastics so that they can be recycled as intended.

A new bailer installed at the landfill will increase the marketability of our recyclables, and we hope that this will eventually include single-stream recyclables.  We carefully monitor market conditions so we will be prepared to shift with the demand.  In the meantime, we continue to emphasize the importance of sorting recyclables to create a pure recycle stream and, whenever possible, reducing and reusing items that might otherwise go into a landfill.

 EASLEY— Effective June 15, 2020 the City of Easley will officially suspend curbside recycling services indefinitely due to the restrictive requirements set forth by the recycling companies where the collected items are being transferred. Economic changes have driven companies to become more restrictive as to what they will accept and as to how it is delivered.  The City is not receiving any money from the recycling companies to assist in covering the extra cost to collect the recyclables under the new strict guidelines which would be very labor intensive. In light of suspending the curbside recycling, the City of Easley has opened a drop off courtesy station behind City Hall at 201 West A  Ave. and also at 801 Pope Field Rd.  These courtesy stations will assist in continuing a form of recycling within the City during the suspension of the curbside recycling program.  Acceptable items which will be allowed at the courtesy stations will be empty and rinsed plastic twist off bottles/jugs 1 & 2 with  lids removed.  No other plastics allowed.  Brown/clear/third group “colored” glass, aluminum/steel cans, newspapers/magazines along with office paper, and empty and broken-down cardboard boxes. Other items not listed above cannot be accepted into the recycling stations.   The City of Easley maintains our desire to offer recycling options, such as these courtesy stations, to our citizens and we hope that this alternative will help us all to continue to reduce our overall landfill use. We ask the citizens to please understand our Public Works Department will not be collecting curbside recycling, so please do not set your recycling bins on the curb after June 15, 2020.  If items need to be thrown away please treat them as garbage by placing them in garbage bags.

Hours of operations are:   Open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday from 9:00am-6:00pm.               
CLOSED Wednesday and Sunday.