Effingham County, GA Trash & Recycling: Bin Placement Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Cart size
- One 90-gallon cart per residential unit
- Set-out time
- Roadside by 7:00 a.m. on collection day
- Pickup frequency
- Once weekly curbside collection
- Removal deadline
- Off roadside by 8:00 p.m. same day
- Enforcement
- Effingham County Magistrate Court, Sec. 66-39
- First offense fine
- $100 to $1,000, up to 30 days
Summary
In unincorporated Effingham County, each residential unit is issued a single 90-gallon cart for weekly collection. Code Section 66-37(a) sets a roadside window: carts must be staged with the lid facing the road by 7:00 a.m. on collection day and pulled back by 8:00 p.m., or as soon as the truck empties it if collection runs late.
(a)All residential units will be issued one 90-gallon cart for once weekly solid waste collection. The cart must be staged at the roadside, with the lid opening facing the roadway, by 7:00 a.m. on the scheduled day of collection. The cart is to be removed from the vicinity of the roadside by 8:00 p.m. on the scheduled day of collection, or as soon as the waste is collected if after 8:00 p.m.
Full Breakdown
Development Services and Public Works enforce cart placement under Chapter 66, Article II, Solid Waste, of the Effingham County Code. Each residential unit in unincorporated Effingham County receives one 90-gallon cart for once-weekly collection (Sec. 66-37(a)). The cart has to be at the roadside, lid opening toward the road, no later than 7:00 a.m. on the scheduled pickup day, and it cannot sit at the curb past 8:00 p.m. that same day, unless the contracted hauler runs behind, in which case removal is expected as soon as the cart is emptied.
Sec. 66-37(c) requires carts, containers, dumpsters and receptacles be kept in as sanitary a condition as reasonably possible. Waste placed inside must be bagged in plastic sacks strong enough to hold together when lifted by the top (Sec. 66-37(d)). Scrap tires, burning or smoldering material, and flammable or explosive items are all barred from the cart (Sec. 66-37(e), (f)). Elderly and disabled residents who cannot physically wheel a cart to the roadside may qualify for back-door collection at the county's discretion if the hauler's contract allows it (Sec.
66-37(h)). No one may willfully damage or move a cart, container, dumpster or receptacle without written consent from the Board of Commissioners (Sec. 66-37(i)), and salvage or scavenging around carts is likewise barred without board consent (Sec. 66-37(j)). Violations are prosecuted in Effingham County Magistrate Court under Sec. 66-39.
Violations & Fines
A first violation of the cart-placement or container rules in Chapter 66, Article II carries a fine of $100 to $1,000, up to 30 days in jail, or both, prosecuted in Effingham County Magistrate Court under Sec. 66-39(a)(1). A second or later offense jumps to $750-$1,000 or up to 60 days. Each day a cart sits out past 8:00 p.m., or is damaged or relocated without board consent, is charged as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
How early can I put my garbage cart out in unincorporated Effingham County?
What happens if I leave my cart at the curb too long?
Can someone move or take my garbage cart?
Is there an exception for elderly or disabled residents who can't move a cart to the road?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Effingham County
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