Residents trash landfill plan

Bees Ferry expansion criticized by nearby homeowners

Disgruntled West Ashley residents who don't want a tower of trash in their backyards finally had their say Tuesday with the Charleston County Council.

About 175 people filed into Rutledge Memorial Church for a hearing about plans for getting rid of trash in the county. They shared views on the county expanding the landfill on Bees Ferry Road, and several said they supported continuing use of the garbage incinerator in North Charleston.

Council recently decided to close the Shipyard Creek Road incinerator, one of the state's largest sources of mercury pollution, but Council could reverse its decision if the company that runs the incinerator finds more eco-friendly and efficient ways to burn trash.

Many urged Council to seriously consider more environmentally friendly ways for waste disposal besides burying or burning.

Councilman Curtis Bostic called for the public hearing after several West Ashley residents contacted him upset about the county's landfill expansion plans.

The state Department of Health and Environmental Control has approved the county's plans to expand the size and height of part of the landfill, a cell that holds construction and demolition debris, from 74 feet to 168 feet high. County staff was directed to seek the permit but didn't get clearance from Council on the new maximum height, Councilwoman Colleen Condon said.

The state agency twice sought public opinion on the dump expansion through standard newspaper advertisements. Charleston County wasn't required to hold a public hearing and, therefore, didn't.

But the residents who contacted Bostic complained that the county should have asked for their input before making the change.

Jill Lundgrin, president of the Hickory Hill Homeowner's Association, said that the residents should have been better informed about such a major change and that she was disappointed with the council's leadership. "I'm really offended," she said. "I do not feel we've been represented."

Neighbors Thomas Peri and Greg Matuskovic, both of whom live in Grand Oaks Plantation off Bees Ferry Road, cited plans for about 15,000 new homes to be built near the Bees Ferry landfill in the near future. "This will be encircling the landfill," Peri said. "Would you want to live there?"

Wilbur Jones, who owns family land near the Edisto River north of Savannah Highway, said he wishes the county would quit "living in the 17th century, sticking something in a hole and covering it up." He said the county should look at recycling programs that work.

Jones said he also supports continued use of the incinerator.

Bostic also wants a lower height limit. "It's good for aesthetics. It's good for the environment, and I think it's a reasonable and appropriate thing for us to do," he said.

Reach Tenisha Waldo at 937-5744 or twaldo@postand courier.com.