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

Section 12-29 sets the hard boundary on what the county's Residential/Small Business Curbside Collection Program will pick up. Dead animals generally are excluded outright; the one exception is a dead household pet, which the County Department of Animal Care will collect, but only if it is bagged in plastic at curbside and the Department is notified in advance. Every other dead animal, wild or otherwise, is the property owner's own disposal problem. The second exclusion covers construction-related and hazardous material: discarded building material, dirt, rock, and industrial or hazardous waste are never a county collection responsibility, regardless of quantity or how it is packaged.

These carve-outs sit alongside the general preparation duty in Sec. 12-67(g): occupants and small-business operators must store garbage properly while it waits for pickup, and any excess garbage that will not fit in the issued roll cart has to be bagged in sealed plastic and placed alongside the cart on the scheduled collection day, not loose. Sec. 12-67(j) separately bars placing acid, explosives, flammable liquids or other corrosive or hazardous material in any dumpster, receptacle or bulk container set out for collection, enforced the same way as any other Chapter 12 offense, through Refuse Control Officers who can issue a warning or a citation.

Because bulk items and white goods are handled under their own scheduled-appointment rules (Sec. 12-23, Sec. 12-24), residents unsure whether an item qualifies for pickup should confirm with the Department of Public Works before setting it at the curb.