Charleston, SC Trash & Recycling: Bin Placement Rules (2026)

Section 14-46(g) of the Charleston Code of Ordinances sets the placement window for every residence that receives city collection. Pickup runs Monday through Friday, except holidays, on the day the city sanitation division assigns to the address. Solid waste, other than bulk, must be at the curb before 6:30 a.m. during daylight savings time and before 7:00 a.m. during Eastern Standard Time, and only on the scheduled pickup day.

Early set-out is limited as well. Garbage cannot be placed before 6:00 p.m. the day before scheduled pickup. Trash, which section 14-1 defines to include ashes, yard rubbish such as leaves, grass, branches and stumps, white goods and other nonperishable refuse, can go out earlier but not more than two days before pickup. Containers, including county curbside recycling containers, must come off the curb as soon as possible after pickup and no later than 6:00 p.m. on the scheduled pickup day.

Location is fixed by subsection (g)(3): containers and excess solid waste go at the curb or edge of pavement and must be visible to collection personnel. Subsection (e) adds that containers must be tightly covered when placed for pickup. Other rules in the same section shape what sits at the curb. Under subsection (a), a residence (multi-family complexes are excluded) may use watertight metal or heavy-duty plastic cans with handles and tight-fitting covers, each no more than forty gallons and fifty pounds loaded, with a maximum of three per household or dwelling unit. Subsection (j) requires trash to be piled in compact piles at the curb with boxes and paper bundled and tied securely. Under subsection (d), logs and limbs are limited to four feet in length and four inches in diameter and cannot be stacked on water meters, beside fire hydrants or on sprinkler heads. Bulk items go out only on the date and time assigned by the sanitation division under subsection (b), and leaves and grass go in brown paper bags under subsection (c).