Charleston County, SC Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)

Article II of Chapter 10 governs unincorporated Charleston County only: Sec. 10-17 excludes any incorporated municipality or area already served by a special public service district. Sec. 10-19 divides the rest of the unincorporated county into four solid waste collection districts under Act No. 566 of 1971: District I east of the Cooper River, District II covering the Ladson-Lincolnville area outside town limits, District III covering Johns Island between the Stono River, Church Creek, Bohicket Creek and the Kiawah River, and District IV around the Town of Ravenel.

Sec. 10-20 requires anyone other than a government agency to hold a yearly solid waste collector's permit from the county health department, issued only after the department confirms the hauler's equipment meets minimum collection and transport standards; the health officer can suspend or revoke that license after written notice and a hearing. Sec. 10-21 sets the actual pickup floor: collection follows a schedule the health department approves, and every collector must furnish that schedule to its customers. Densely populated areas get garbage pickup at least two days a week and household and yard rubbish pickup, excluding automobiles, at least one day a week; sparsely populated areas run on whatever schedule the health department approves for that route.

The schedule must also cover pickup of discarded household furnishings and appliances, so bulky item collection is folded into the same approved plan. Vehicles used for collection must stay enclosed or covered to stop spillage and blowing debris, and the health department can inspect them at any reasonable time.