x
Breaking News
More () »

COVID-19 halts recycling in the city of Orangeburg

City officials are making adjustments, which will impact collecting recycled materials, to protect sanitation workers during the spread of the corona virus.

ORANGEBURG, S.C. — The city of Orangeburg will stop taking recyclables due to COVID-19.  

"We’ve suspended our recycling services" says John Singh, the assistant city administrator of Orangeburg, "That allows us to allows all of our sanitation crews to focus on actually picking up trash and also yard trash."

The city administrator says he understands the potential push back from eco-friendly residents but says that for safety reasons it's a move the city felt it had to make.

"It’s frustrating for folks, it’s frustrating for me to because I like to recycle" says Singh, "But for reasons of social distancing there are reasons that with the recycle bins that we have, we have to pick them up by hand and place them in the container versus with the roll cart you attach the cart to the truck it lifts the trash and puts it into the hopper of the garbage truck so there’s a lot less contact for our employees when it comes to working with just the trash truck than working with the recycling truck."

The city is asking residents to incorporate recyclables with the normal trash.

"We’re stressing to residents to please not mix trash in the yard" says Singh, "Trash meaning cardboard boxes, or house hold trash in the yard trash debris. We’re just trying to get it were our crews are consolidated so we can focus on the main health and safety of getting sanitation services of trash up so we can maintain sanitary conditions in the city."

Before You Leave, Check This Out