Charleston Co. Landfill fails DHEC inspections for months
CHARLESTON COUNTY, SC (WCSC) — Troubles at the Charleston County landfill continue as the facility continues to fail monthly inspections by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Protection.
The Charleston County landfill on Bees Ferry Road has failed multiple inspections to control waste, land cover application and failed compressors.
Problems arose when the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Protection conducted a routine compliance inspection at the landfill on Oct. 24 and found that the landfill failed to apply a cover, meaning covering the garbage with a layer of soil to minimize odor , pests and rodents, as well as litter.
The Department of Health and Environmental Control continued to visit the Bees Ferry landfill monthly, where inspectors continued to find the landfill to be deficient in waste control.
Several nearby West Ashley neighborhoods and apartment building residents have complained about the trash, including one woman, Emily Vanauker, who can see the landfill from her front door.
“The birds are wild; They dump all kinds of litter and garbage,” says Vanauker. “Our neighbors have a hard time; They collect garbage every day. They go out into the yard, they have a little daughter and a dog, and they say we can’t let our dog out because there’s so much trash and gross stuff in our yard.”
During the department’s last inspection in January, the inspector requested the landfill to provide dated and timed photographs showing adequate coverage at the end of each working day.
Merle Shepard, a longtime resident of West Ashley, says he thinks the problem also has to do with the area growing and bringing more people closer to the landfill.
“It really hasn’t affected me that much, just cosmetically, because going to the landfills with these trucks sometimes they don’t cover the back of the truck properly,” says Shepard. “A lot of people sometimes refer to this area as West Trashley.”
The landfill will be reassessed on February 10 and the Department of Health and Environmental Control says the landfill is currently working with a contractor to develop a plan to address the waste problem across the facility.
Another member of the West Ashley community, Richard Crawford, asks if the problem is due to a lack of labor or limited land.
“If something goes wrong, you can be affected by the smell and everything. If they have to close the thing, it can back up even more data,” says Crawford. “I mean, it’s pretty depressing.”
Charleston County issued the following statement in response to the Bees Ferry landfill:
Charleston County Environmental Management continues to monitor the waste. Employees work with a contractor to develop and implement a plan to resolve the issue.
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