RICHLAND COUNTY (WACH) – Starting next month residents in Richland County will no longer be able to discard electronic items with their household garbage.
Richland County Solid Waste Director Paul Alcantar says residents will have to recycle the items instead.
According to Alcantar, the county will start enforcing an electronics ban on July 1st.
He says the law is meant to keep electronics out of area landfills.
“A lot of electronics still have components that can leak some type of fluid or material that could get into the groundwater and be harmful,” said Alcantar.
Alcantar says more and more people are looking to get new electronic items and get rid of old ones.
He says local landfills are seeing an uptick in discarded electronics and feels the law is necessary to protect residents health.
Alcantar adds that those who break the electronics ban law won’t be fined at first.
“If you try to discard your electronics in your garbage, the folks that pick up your trash will leave it out and tag it, so you know we are not accepting those items anymore,” said Alcantar.
Alcantar says a notice of violation will also be given to violators.
There are currently two locations where Richland County residents can recycle their electronics:
Richland County C&D Landfill
1070 Caughman Road North
Columbia, SC
Telephone: 803-576-2390
Operational Hours: Monday through Friday 7:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Saturday 7:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.
Lower Richland Residential Drop-Off Site
10531 Garners Ferry Road
Eastover, South Carolina
Telephone: 803-776-2324
Operational Hours: Monday through Saturday 8:00 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. Sunday 12:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m.
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