Horry County Solid Waste Authority's Journey to a Safe Facility

In Conway, SC, at the Horry County Solid Waste Authority Recycling Facility, over 100 tons of
recyclable waste is processed each day. The Material Recycling Facility (MRF) processes all the recyclables in Horry county to reduce the overall tonnage the county contributes to landfills.

Deputy Director of Recycling Rodney Cannon oversees the facility and aims to find ways to
create a more efficient environment. He constantly strives to find new ways to automate their processes to operate cleaner, faster, and handle more recyclables. Especially since the Great Recession, the MRF has opted not only for safe efficiencies that reduce the amount of help required, saving them money, but also allowing them to keep up with their workload with fewer employees.

However, the combustible dust built up in his facilities proved to be a constant hassle and a consistent struggle. During processing, recyclables produce several types of fibers, and those fibers make a significant amount of combustible dust.

As it migrates to the ceilings, the dust build-up becomes far too much to manage within the
scope of their everyday business. It required overtime that was unsustainable and put a strain on employees.