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<p><strong>From staff reports</strong></p>
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<p>The County announced Wednesday, July 28 that the new decal program at County Convenience Centers had saved taxpayers $290,000 over the last six months. Full implementation of the decal program will be on November 1.</p>
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<p>“The decal program has done what it was designed to do, stop illegal dumping by contractors and citizens from outside the County,” Beaufort County Solid Waste and Recycling Director Cindy Carter said in a release.</p>
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<p>Almost 50,000 properties have registered for the new Convenience Center decal system, which began in October 2020. Residents without decals will be notified by Convenience Center staff that the decal is required by November 1. Citizens using the recycling bins do not need a decal.</p>
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<p>“Many have found the program to be easy and efficient. You can sign up online, and you are issued a sticker decal and a digital decal that can be used on your phone or printed,” Carter said. “Our team has been working tirelessly to help citizens that are having trouble registering and did specific outreach to heirs property owners."</p>
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<p>From January 2021 through June, the County saw a 30 percent drop in volume at the Convenience Centers. Fifteen hundred fewer containers were pulled from the centers. The decline in illegal dumping produced a savings of $290,000 compared to the same time period in 2020.</p>
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<p>Beaufort County also saw a 6 percent decrease in disposal costs amounting to a savings of $160,000. Disposal costs are what the County pays for all garbage collected by waste management companies to dump at Oakwood Landfill in Ridgeland.</p>
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<p>Citizens who have not applied for a decal can submit their information using the online form at https://bit.ly/3xmF35W. If they have applied for a decal and have not received it, there is a problem with the information received on the original application. For inquiries about the status of a decal application, please go to https://bit.ly/3ynElqB.</p>
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<p>Reminders for the new decal system:</p>
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<p>Visits will be limited to three per week per address (Sunday-Saturday).</p>
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<p>Renters of single-family homes should request the decal from property owners.</p>
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<p>Citizens who rent from large apartment complexes will use the trash service provided by the complex; for large items, they should go to the landfill.</p>
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<p>Commercial properties are not eligible for a decal.</p>
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<p>Commercial business owners are not eligible for a decal.</p>
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<p>County residents who choose not to apply for a decal can make arrangements for an individual from a permitted waste hauler of their choice and at their own expense.</p>
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