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

Rock Hill's automated collection trucks are operated through Chapter 17 of the City Code of Ordinances under SC Code §5-7-30 municipal authority. Because the trucks are side- or rear-loaded by an articulated mechanical arm, the City publishes strict clearance requirements for set-out: each cart must be at least four feet clear of any other object - mailboxes, recycling bins, utility poles, parked cars, light poles, fire hydrants, signs - and must not be directly under utility lines (overhead wires snag and tear the truck arm at full extension). The four-foot clearance rule applies between containers themselves: the blue recycling bin must be set at least four feet from the green garbage cart, and the brown YardCart must clear the others by the same margin, so the truck for each stream can approach without striking the adjacent containers. Set-out is by 6:30 AM on the scheduled collection day; the City's earlier (and still occasionally cited) guidance allowed set-out as early as noon the day before, but the current Public Works standard is the 6:30 AM rule. Removal from the curb is required by 6:30 AM the next day. Carts placed in the cartway (street), on the sidewalk in a way that blocks pedestrian travel, or against fire hydrants are non-compliant and may be skipped or cited under both Chapter 17 and the 2021 IPMC as adopted by Rock Hill. Bulky items, limbs, and bagged overflow set in the curb area must also stay clear of obstructions (especially overhead lines for the grapple/claw truck used on limbs).