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Trash & Recycling in Greenwood County, SC (2026)

6 rules for unincorporated Greenwood County, South Carolina.

Verified from official government sources

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

Pickup Rules & Schedules

The county's green box roadside collection system, created under Code § 8-1-24, is reserved for household sanitary waste in unincorporated Greenwood County. Businesses and nonprofits may not use the green boxes to dispose of waste without the county's written consent, though the county manager may admit low-volume generators who cannot get commercial hauler service.

Greenwood County Green Box Collection Rules

Some Restrictions

Greenwood County Code § 8-1-24

(a)The green box roadside collection system provided by the county is for the collection of household sanitary waste. It is unlawful for any business or nonprofit agency or concern to use this system for the disposition of waste without the written consent of the county.(b)The county manager or his designee may allow the use of the county's green box waste system by low-volume waste generators ...

Bulk Item Disposal

In unincorporated Greenwood County, Code § 8-1-5(e) bans dumping large, bulky items in county trash containers: furniture, appliances, mattresses, tires, bricks, cement and dead animals are named outright. Waste must go entirely inside the container, none left in the surrounding area. The county manager's office, through the animal/litter control department, enforces the rule under Article A of Chapter 8-1.

Greenwood County Bulky Waste Container Ban

Significant Restrictions

Greenwood County Code § 8-1-5(e)

(e)Deposit of bulky items in county containers. It shall be unlawful to deposit large, bulky items in containers belonging to the county, including but not limited to items such as furniture, appliances, leaves, limbs, building materials, mattresses, rocks, bricks, cement, dead animals, cardboard boxes not crushed, automotive tires and parts and any other items not considered household waste. A...

Recycling Requirements

Section 8-1-44 bars anyone from selling, misusing, damaging or destroying a county recycling container in unincorporated Greenwood County. Residents may keep only one container each, and only while actively participating in the county's recycling program; keeping a container without participating, or holding more than one, is itself a prohibited act.

Greenwood County Recycling Program Requirements

Some Restrictions

Greenwood County Code § 8-1-44

With regard to any recycling container owned by the county, it shall be unlawful for any person to: (1)Sell or otherwise dispose of any recycling container;(2)Use any recycling container for any purpose other than valid bona fide recycling purposes;(3)Intentionally damage or destroy any recycling container; or(4)Maintain a recycling container in his possession if such person is not actively par...

Illegal Dumping

Dumping garbage, refuse, litter, junk, appliances or tree limbs anywhere in unincorporated Greenwood County outside a permitted site or the county landfill is a misdemeanor under Code § 8-1-12. Violators face up to a $100.00 fine or 30 days' imprisonment under § 8-1-16, with each day of continued violation charged as a separate offense.

Greenwood County Illegal Dumping Penalties

Heavy Restrictions

Greenwood County Code §§ 8-1-12, 8-1-16

(a)It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, corporation or other entity to throw, dump, or cause to be dumped, any garbage, refuse, rubbish, litter, junk, appliances, equipment, cans, bottles, paper, lumber, trees, tree limbs, brush, or other form of solid waste anywhere in the unincorporated area of the county except as may be permitted by county rules and regulations or at the county sanita...

Yard Waste Collection

Anyone hauling leaves, limbs, brush or other solid waste in unincorporated Greenwood County must keep an open vehicle covered under Code § 8-1-5(g), preventing spillage onto the highway. The rule sits in the same solid-waste article that bans setting fires in county containers and unlawful scavenging, and is enforced alongside the county's dumping penalties.

Greenwood County Covered Yard Waste Transport

Some Restrictions

Greenwood County Code § 8-1-5(g)

(g)Transport of waste in open vehicle. It shall be unlawful for any person to transport in an open vehicle any solid waste, leaves, limbs, cardboard boxes or paper unless properly covered to prevent such waste from spilling or falling onto the highway or adjacent areas.

Recycling Rules

Recycling containers distributed to unincorporated Greenwood County residents remain county property under Code § 8-1-43, and violating Article C of the recycling chapter is a misdemeanor under § 8-1-41 punishable by a $200.00 fine. Officers may cite violators on a uniform traffic ticket, and courts can require restitution for container damage before suspending any part of the fine.

Greenwood County Recycling Container Rules

Some Restrictions

Greenwood County Code §§ 8-1-41, 8-1-43

Any person convicted in magistrate's court for violating any provision of this article shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be fined $200.00, no part of which may be suspended unless the court finds that the person has made adequate restitution to the county for any damage to a recycling container as a result of the violation. ... All containers distributed to residents for use in collect...

All Greenwood County ordinances

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