PAWLEYS ISLAND, SC — The Town of Pawleys Island will begin a new recycling program next week that is the first of its kind in Georgetown County.

Residents and visitors of the town will be required to recycle plastic, paper and metal starting Oct. 20, which should reduce the town’s use of county landfill space by 30 to 35 percent, officials said.

Recycling items will be picked up each Wednesday on the island.

What is different about this “single stream” program is that items to be recycled do not need to be separated in the container.

Pawleys Mayor Bill Otis said at Monday’s Town Council meeting that he met with Ray Funnye, the county’s director of public works, and discussed recycling options.

“They really worked with us on this,” Otis said. “They want to use Pawleys Island as a pilot program.”

Funnye could not be reached for comment before press time.

Otis said they will take most plastic containers (numbers 1 to 7), metal cans, cardboard, newspaper and office paper.

“The only things they won’t take are glass, Styrofoam and plastic grocery bags,” Otis said. “It is possible that we could add glass in the future.”

There has been no increase for trash pickup in four years,” Otis said.

“Now, the rate each property owner pays will increase slightly more than 10 percent.”

The town property owners have had trash pickup twice a week.

Now they will have two trash pickups, on Tuesday and Saturday, and a recycling pickup on Wednesdays.

Town Council will be monitoring the amount of recycling items collected and will determine if recycling pickup every Wednesday is necessary year-round.

“We reserve the right to make it every other week,” Otis said.

Pavilion Reunion

In other action, Council accepted a request from Habitat for Humanity Georgetown County to organize and run the Pawleys Pavilion Reunion.

It will be held on May 7, 2011 at Pawleys Island Park on the island.

This event, which celebrates the history of one of the areas most beloved landmarks with a shag party, was not held last year.

Started by Molly Mercer and friends 13 years ago, the Pavilion Reunion was taken over by the South Carolina Environmental Law Project (SCELP) two years ago.

Annette Perreault, executive director of the local Habitat for Humanity, said she is very excited to continue the tradition of the reunion.

“We are so pleased we will be able to move forward with it,” Perreault said. “We have heard from so many people who wanted to work on the committee and come to the event. We are really excited about it.”

She said this spring’s event will honor the late Jimmy Chandler, founder of SCELP and others who have run the event in past years, including the event’s founder, Molly Mercer.

Otis said the council’s vote to allow Habitat for Humanity to run the event “reaffirms council’s support of the Pavilion Reunion as a positive thing for the community to commemorate or memorialize the three pavilions that have been on Pawleys in its history.”

By Clayton Stairs

cstairs@gtowntimes.com