Environmentally Preferred (Green) Purchasing for State Agencies

Green Purchasing is the procurement of products and services that have a reduced effect on human health and the environment over their life cycle when compared with competing products or services that serve the same purpose.

Buying products made from recovered material supports recycling markets by ensuring that the material collected in recycling programs is used again in the manufacture of new products. The practice also:

Safe Disposal of Unused Medicine

Keeping medications that are no longer useful is a bad idea.

Consumers and caregivers should remove expired, unwanted, or unused medicine from their homes as quickly as possible and properly dispose of it to help reduce the chance that others may accidentally take or intentionally misuse the medicine.

Many residents have medical conditions that require self-injections at home. Because of issues regarding safety and the spread of disease, the disposal of home-generated needles, syringes and lancets (or "sharps") has caused some concern among families and trash collection services as well as landfill and recycling staff.

Here is a list of retailer and manufacturer recycling programs for computers, printers, televisions, cell phones and other unwanted electronics. Click on the name for more information about each recycling program. Programs vary on how they work and what is accepted. This list is not to be considered an endorsement of any retailer, manufacturer or program.

Unwanted electronics are one of the nation's fastest growing waste streams. Often called e-scrap, electronics contain potentially hazardous material such as lead and mercury that can pose a risk to human health and the environment if not properly managed.

The South Carolina Manufacturer Responsibility and Consumer Convenience Information Technology Equipment Collection and Recovery Act

The South Carolina Manufacturer Responsibility and Consumer Convenience Information Technology Equipment Collection and Recovery Act

• Passed in 2010 that banned the disposal of specific electronics in solid waste landfills (Section 48-60-90); effective July 1, 2011.

The South Carolina Manufacturer Responsibility and Consumer Convenience Information Technology Equipment Collection and Recovery Act

The South Carolina Manufacturer Responsibility and Consumer Convenience Information Technology Equipment Collection and Recovery Act

• Passed in 2010 that banned the disposal of specific electronics in solid waste landfills (Section 48-60-90); effective July 1, 2011.

The S.C. Collegiate Recycling Professionals Certification Program is a comprehensive professional development program targeting college/university recycling and sustainability coordinators, solid waste directors, procurement officers, and more.