South Carolina is the home of the lamp recycling facility that aims to handle tens of thousands of lamps, ballasts, and other materials. Earth Protection Services has spent $2 million for new equipment at the center, which began full operations in January.
The company employs 14 workers and plans to employ 20 more workers within the next five years, said company president John Chilcott. The company processes harmful and hazardous materials found in lighting fixtures, fluorescent and HID lamps, ballasts and other industrial waste streams.
In addition to lighting structures, the company handles electronic waste, computer monitors, televisions, circuit boards, batteries, capacitors, and personal computers.
Construction and installation of the equipment began last August.
The Phoenix, Ariz.-based company is leasing two buildings in Williamston. The company also has consolidation facilities in Pennsylvania, California, Oregon and Texas.
Chilcott says that the decision to build a facility in South Carolina was done to give the company a presence in the eastern part of the United States.
The company recycles waste such as mercury from light bulbs and waste from televisions and computers. Most of the company's customers are retailers, but it also handles waste from school districts and military bases.
Gov. Mark Sanford called the company a "blessing for South Carolina."
"With so many high-tech products it means that many of them end up in landfills," Sanford said.
"It's great that Earth Protection Services can recover and reuse them for the benefit of many."
Chilcott says that the company presently handles between 70,000-100,000 lamps a day.
The company ships the batteries collected through the program to Intermetco, while the computer-related equipment may be shipped to Unicor or Gold Circuit, among other companies.