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

Berkeley County Code of Ordinances § 53-38 governs the mechanics of residential collection in the unincorporated county. Under subsection (a), every vehicle used to collect or transport solid waste must be kept sanitary and built to prevent leakage or blowing refuse, and must meet safety and sanitation standards set by the Solid Waste Department. Subsection (b) requires the collector to guarantee its equipment so a breakdown does not disrupt the published collection schedule, and subsection (c) allows Solid Waste Department staff to inspect refuse vehicles at any reasonable time, with the collector responsible for fixing any deficiency found.

Subsection (d) is the schedule requirement itself: 'A collection schedule shall be published by the collector in a newspaper of countywide circulation,' so residents look up pickup days rather than relying on a single county-wide default day. Subsection (e) requires collectors to dispose of everything they collect only at locations approved by the department. Collection districts 1 through 4 are separately established under § 53-34, and within districts served by house-to-house collectors, the county will not place its own public refuse containers (§ 53-35(b)). Backing this up, § 53-39(b) makes service functionally mandatory: every owner of residential or commercial property must use an approved solid waste collection service or disposal facility acceptable to the Solid Waste Department, though § 53-39(c) allows a homeowner to dispose of his own household refuse on his own land if it does not create a nuisance or health hazard.

Collectors that operate without the county's approval, or that dump outside an approved site, are subject to Solid Waste Department enforcement and the penalty set out at § 53-32.