Dive Brief:

• The Cherokee County Council in South Carolina is considering dropping its residential curbside recycling pick-up. Eliminating this service would affect 8,000 households.
• The proposal to end curbside collection in favor of increasing recycling center drop-off locations was met with opposition from Gaffney Mayor Henry Jolly and members of the city council. 
• Records provided by the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control indicate that an estimated 20% to 25% of residents participate in curbside recycling. This translates to an entire community paying for services that only a fraction of residents use.

Dive Insight:

Recycling pick-up for the county totals around $511,000 every year, with annual revenue reaching $115,000. The costs associated with updating equipment necessary to continue door-to-door collection is around $260,500.