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Spartanburg County, SC Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Governing sections
Spartanburg County Code §§ 66-31 to 66-34
Collection method
Shared roadside containers, no curbside pickup
Allowed in container
Household garbage only
Must go to landfill
Appliances, industrial waste, trees, brush
Scavenging
Prohibited under Section 66-32
Nonresident use
Requires special permit, Section 66-34
Penalty
Up to $500 fine or 30 days jail

Summary

Unincorporated Spartanburg County has no curbside garbage truck route; residents haul household garbage themselves to county roadside containers under Section 66-31. Only household garbage goes in the container, appliances, industrial waste, trees and brush must go straight to the county landfill, and scavenging the containers or using them without county residency is separately banned.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Spartanburg County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

The county roadside containers shall be used only for the disposal of household garbage, and such garbage must be placed in the roadside container and not on the ground. All other waste, appliances, industrial waste, trees or brush and similar matter must be disposed of in the county sanitary landfill. ... (a)No person shall search, probe or scavenge any roadside container. (b)No person shall at any time or in any manner abuse or damage any roadside container. ... Nonresidents of the county shall not be permitted to use the roadside containers or the sanitary landfills except by special permit from the solid waste management division.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 29).

Full Breakdown

Article II of Chapter 66 sets up the county's collection method for unincorporated Spartanburg County: shared roadside containers rather than individual curbside pickup. Section 66-31 limits what can go in: household garbage only, placed inside the container rather than left on the ground, while appliances, industrial waste, trees, brush and similar bulk material must be taken to the county sanitary landfill instead. Section 66-32 bars anyone from searching, probing or scavenging a roadside container, and separately bars abusing or damaging one. Section 66-33 goes further and restricts the leased or owned container-site area itself to garbage disposal only; anyone who goes onto or remains on that area without garbage to dispose of, and without being in the act of disposing of it, is deemed a trespasser and punished under this chapter.

Section 66-34 closes the system to outsiders: nonresidents cannot use the roadside containers or the sanitary landfill, and no collector may dump waste that came from outside Spartanburg County, unless the solid waste management division has issued a special permit first. Private haulers face their own separate licensing track: Section 66-3 requires any private collector operating in the county to hold a collector's license from the solid waste management division and to dispose of everything at the county sanitary landfill, not at a roadside container, and Section 66-4 requires any vehicle carrying garbage on a public highway to be covered or secured so nothing drops, sifts, leaks or blows out while in transit.

Violations & Fines

Improper use of a roadside container carries no separate fine in Article II itself. Scavenging under Section 66-32 and trespassing on a container site under Section 66-33 are both punished under the chapter's general terms, which fall back to the county's overall general penalty, Section 1-6: up to $500.00, up to 30 days in jail, or both, with each day of a continuing violation counted as its own offense. Using a container without county residency or a special permit exposes both the individual and any hauler involved to the same penalty.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Spartanburg County pick up trash at my curb?
Not in the unincorporated county. Chapter 66's roadside container system, not individual curbside collection, is how household garbage gets to the landfill: residents place household garbage in a shared roadside container under Section 66-31, and anything larger, like appliances or brush, has to go straight to the county sanitary landfill instead.
Can I dig through a roadside container for recyclables?
No. Section 66-32 makes it unlawful to search, probe or scavenge any roadside container, and separately unlawful to abuse or damage one. Anyone caught doing either is subject to the chapter's penalty, which defaults to the county's general fine of up to $500.00 or 30 days in jail.
Can someone from Greenville County use a Spartanburg roadside container?
Only with a special permit. Section 66-34 closes the roadside containers and the sanitary landfill to nonresidents and to waste hauled in from outside Spartanburg County unless the solid waste management division issues a special permit first.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Spartanburg County

All Spartanburg County rules

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