Trash & Recycling in Charles County, MD (2026)

2 rules for unincorporated Charles County, Maryland.

Verified from official government sources

Note: These county rules apply to unincorporated areas of Charles County. If you live within an incorporated city, that city's own rules apply: see the city list below.

Pickup Rules & Schedules

Charles County Code § 58-1 controls how garbage and trash move through the county: haulers can only take garbage to incinerators, licensed dumps, or hog farms, and every vehicle or container carrying trash must have a tight-fitting, secured cover. The County Health Officer licenses garbage-hauling vehicles for $25 a year, and violators face a misdemeanor fine.

Charles County Garbage and Trash Transport Rules

Some Restrictions

Charles County Code § 58-1

No garbage shall be transported over any public highway or street of Charles County except to incinerators, approved municipal dumps in said County or to destinations outside the limits of Charles County or to farms in Charles County for the use in the feeding of hogs. ... All trash transported over any public highway or street of Charles County shall be so transported only in vehicles or conta...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Dumpster Rules

Every new Charles County development that needs a dumpster for solid waste must site it under Zoning Ordinance § 297-307 to ease collection and limit nuisance to neighbors, then screen it so it can't be seen from other dwellings, from customers or employees on other lots outside the IG or IH industrial zones, or from any public street, sidewalk or right-of-way.

Charles County Commercial Dumpster Screening

Some Restrictions

Charles County Code § 297-307

Every new development constructed that is or will be required to provide one or more dumpsters for solid waste collection shall provide sites for such dumpsters that are located so as to facilitate collection and minimize any negative impact on persons occupying the development site, neighboring properties or public rights-of-way. All such dumpsters shall be screened to prevent them from being ...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

All Charles County ordinances

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