County to name 'green' panel

Committee would help with planning for solid waste, other environmental issues

Charleston County is looking for qualified citizens to help develop a plan to deal with solid waste and environmental sustainability for the next 20 to 30 years.

The 15-member Green Ribbon Committee will be made up of county residents who have expertise in related fields and citizens who represent different geographic areas of the county.

The deadline to apply to serve on the committee is Sept. 15. County Council's Finance Committee will consider the applications at its Oct. 2 meeting.

Councilwoman Colleen Condon, who researched and proposed the committee's make-up, said "any improvement we make in solid waste will require municipal input, citizen input and input from experts."

The county now spends $40 million each year on solid waste disposal, she said.

Councilman Henry Darby, who represents the Union Heights neighborhood off Spruill Avenue in North Charleston where the county's trash incinerator sits, said it's important that the committee recommend closing the incinerator.

The facility has been open 18 years and was supposed to close after 20 years.

But as the closing date approaches, the county is considering using the incinerator for another 20 years.

People who live near the facility suffer from the pollution that comes from burning 70 percent of the county's municipal waste, Darby said.

"If the committee is objective," he said, "they'll see what everybody else sees, that the incinerator shouldn't have been there in the first place."

If the committee doesn't recommend closing the facility, he said, he'll take the matter to the U.S. Justice Department.

Condon said the committee, which will work closely with a solid waste consultant, will spend about a year coming up with a plan.

"We want people to come back with the best ideas they can find around the country and the world," she said.

Thinking Green

Charleston County is seeking applications from residents interested in serving on a 15-member Green Ribbon Committee. The committee will make recommendations on how the county should handle solid waste for the next 20 to 30 years.

The committee will be made up of:

--A member with energy management experience

--A member with transportation of solid waste experience

--A member with solid waste management experience

--A member with professional recycling experience

--A member with real estate development experience

--A member with environmental science experience

--A resident from the Bees Ferry corridor

--A resident living within one-half mile of the trash incinerator

--A government representative from a small municipality east of the Cooper River

--A government representative from a small municipality west of the Ashley River

--Two at-large representatives of the community

--Three members appointed (one each) by the city of Charleston, the city of North Charleston and the town of Mount Pleasant.

Citizens may apply for these vacancies by contacting Kristen Salisbury 958-4031 or by visiting the county's Web site at www.charlestoncounty.org.

Reach Diane Knich at 937-5491 or dknich@postandcourier.com.