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

Section 19-35(b) fixes the pickup window: "Roll carts and, in those areas designated by the city, recyclables containers are to be placed at curbside no later than 8:00 a.m. on the day of the collection and removed no later than 7:30 p.m. on the day of collection." The superintendent of solid waste can grant a special exception when no one living in the household is physically capable of rolling the cart to and from the curb, so residents who need help are not automatically out of compliance.

Outside that window, § 19-35(e) requires lids and tops to stay closed except while filling or emptying, and dictates where the cart or recyclables container must sit: "In a garage or carport; or In the back or rear of the property; or On the side of the dwelling beyond the front corner of the dwelling." In practice, that means a resident cannot store a roll cart in full view at the front of the house between collection days; it has to be screened behind the home's front corner, in a garage, carport, or the back yard. Section 19-35(c) adds that only one roll cart is issued per household and it remains city property throughout, so a resident who damages it through misuse, as opposed to normal wear from city collection crews, must pay for repair or a replacement cart, and collection is suspended at any address where the cart is missing or too damaged to service.