Hazmat team finds acid at Pawleys Island recycling center

The Pawleys Island Recycling Center on Grate Avenue was temporarily closed Thursday morning while hazmat crews cleaned up acid.

Midway Fire and Rescue were on scene around 9:30 a.m. to investigate a “potentially hazardous substance,” Jackie Broach, Georgetown County spokeswoman, said.

The hazmat team tested small puddles of the substance and discovered it was most likely acid from a car battery, Broach said.

“The team pinpointed the most likely source as a leaking car battery someone put into one of the center's trash containers,” she said.

Crews cleaned out all items in the affected container. Public Services staff is cleaning up the trash that had to be removed from the container and reopened the recycling center once they got the all-clear from hazmat crews, Broach said.

The center reopened around 1:30 p.m., Broach said.

Residents were redirected to the Murrells Inlet Recycling Center on Wesley Road while the Pawleys Island site was cleaned.

“We apologize for any inconvenience to the public, but the safety of our workers and residents must come first,” Broach said in a release.

This story was originally published August 13, 2015 at 1:11 PM with the headline "Hazmat team finds acid at Pawleys Island recycling center."