Waste Reduction and recycling can reduce our country's dependence on landfills.

Every family can help reduce the amount of money Chatham County pays each year to dispose of our garbage. 

Waste reduction at the source (us!) is a win-win approach that directly reduces expenditures from the County budget. In addition to what the County spends from their budget for solid waste managment, each "dwelling unit" in the rural areas of the County are charged an annual flat disposal fee of $34 and a solid waste fee of $91, used to support the 12 convenience centers. We pay these fees on our County tax bill. County residents have the option to pay a private hauler, like Waste Management Inc., to pick up their trash.

 For the 2010-11 fiscal year, the County projects it will make $65,000 from the sale of recyclables. The more each household recycles, the more money the county can make from the sale of recyclables and recycling reduces the overall weight of trash. The County pays a per ton price to dispose of our trash. Glass bottles and jars are heavy!

Please do your part and encourage everyone you know to "Reduce - Reuse - Recycle" so that we do not ever need a landfill in Chatham County. According to the EPA, "yard trimmings and food residuals together constitute 26 percent of the U.S. municipal solid waste stream." 

EPA Guide to Composting

EPA Consumer's Handbook for Reducing Solid Waste

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