Beaufort County officials say a composting initiative in South Carolina could cut landfill waste now and, over time, save taxpayers more than $1 million.
The county started the program in January, and WTOC reported that it has already kept more than 30,000 pounds of food scraps and other organic material out of landfills by converting that waste into nutrient-rich soil.
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For residents, the goal is to make composting more convenient. Instead of managing a backyard compost pile or driving all the way to Charleston, locals can collect kitchen scraps and bring them to green bins at county convenience centers.
Each Tuesday, county employees pick up those bins and take the contents to an in-vessel composting unit that officials say is the only county-owned machine of its kind in South Carolina. A mechanical auger helps process the material there, and the finished compost is later used in a garden near the Beaufort County Public Works building…