Sustainable Sumter

Event Flyer (PDF)

The city's first Earth Day celebration on Saturday, April 25, 2009 was a tremendous success, thanks to the participation of the Sumter Community!  It was a fun and educational day for all, with displays, hands-on activities and live entertainment.  We hope to repeat it on April 24, 2010, with the second annual Earth Day celebration!

One of the most important things that individuals can do in order to protect our environment is to recycle.  

Recycling is ESSENTIAL for the future of our communities. Our landfills are overflowing with reusable materials. Filling the landfill with these items is costly for citizens. The benefits of recycling including extending the life of our landfills, saving natural resources, and saving energy!

Why recycle?

·         To save natural resources:

·         For each ton of recycled glass used to make new glass, we save nine gallons of fuel.

·         58% less water is used when paper is recycled than when using raw materials.

To save energy:

·         One aluminum can saves enough energy to run a television set for one hour.

·         Two gallons of used motor oil has enough energy to run the average household for 24 hours.

To save landfill space:

·         All landfills must be lined; this will cost taxpayers millions of dollars to provide a facility for the disposal of garbage.

What can we do?

·         REDUCE the amount of waste you produce.

·         RE-USE as many products and packages as possible.

·         RECYCLE every possible material.

In Sumter County, the following products are collected by the City and/or County:

·         Farmers’ Used Oil: Uses farmers’ oil from 55-gallon drums are now accepted at the Alligator Branch Road and Spencer Road Recycling Centers.

·         Grinding of the Greens: Don’t let your beautiful Christmas tree end up buried with ugly trash! Take your tree to a “mulch” better place by donating it to “Grinding of the Greens.” This Christmas tree recycling program was designed to help conserve landfill space. It also assists in keeping dumpster areas Christmas tree-free.

·         Household Garbage/City Residents Only: Please bag your household garbage and place in your roll-away. Place your roll-away and recycling bin at the curbside by 7 a.m. on the day of your scheduled pickup. 

·         Telephone Books: Each spring, Sumter County collects old telephone books at all recycling centers. The City will pick up old phone books at the curbside. Dates are announced each year.

·         Used Oil Filters and Bottles: Sumter County encourages do-it-yourself oil changers to recycle their used motor oil. There are 13 GOFER (Give Oil for Energy Recovery) sites in Sumter. Locations include all County recycling centers, the County landfill on Brewington Road, City of Sumter Public Works, Shaw Air Force Base and Central Carolina Technical College.

·         Yard Waste: Normal yard debris for City residents is picked up at the curbside once a week. Leaves must be bagged from September to March. No white goods, building materials or tires can be picked up.

The City of Sumter also offers a dumpster service to businesses inside the city limits. The City offers cardboard and office paper recycling programs to businesses that qualify. For more information, please call the City of Sumter Public Works Department at (803) 436-2558, M-F, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The following materials can generally be recycled using the City’s curbside recycling program (guidelines coming soon):

·         Scrap metal

·         Bulk waste items (brown goods)

·         Aluminum

·         Steel cans

·         Glass

·         Paper

·         Plastic drink bottles marked with a “1” or “2” recycling symbol

·         Yard waste

·         Corrugated cardboard

·         Tires

·         Used motor oil, filters and bottles

·         Office paper and magazines

To complete the recycling process, BUY RECYCLED products and those packaged in recycled material.