Cherokee Tribal Sanitation Program | Eastern Band of Cherokee

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Working with its neighboring counties, the Eastern Band of Cherokee developed a waste management system that includes a tribally owned transfer station, waste collection, recycling, bio-solids/food composting, and an educational initiative. This revenue-generating system has enabled the Band to shut down open dumps, reduce levels of illegal dumping, and avoid the need for a tribal landfill. In addition to revenue from sales of recycling and compost materials, the station also services two neighboring counties lacking federally certified landfills. Environmentally, the waste management program has been extremely effective in cleaning up the reservation—whereas two years ago there were five dumps on the reservation, today there is only one. Finally, the tribe is helping to ensure the program's future success by educating its youth about the need for recycling.