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

Section 28-6 licenses collectors, defined as anyone in the business of collecting, transporting or disposing of solid waste in the county. Before collecting anything, a collector must hold a county license and any other required local, state or federal licenses and decals; license fees are set by county council and posted at the Oconee County Solid Waste Complex. Each collector must file route maps showing proposed and established routes, along with the number of residential customers served, and must attest in writing that it has read chapter 28 and the department's rules and agrees to follow them; failing to do so is grounds for license revocation.

A collector discontinuing an approved route must notify the director at least 60 days ahead, except for death, disaster, or a council-granted exception. Every collection vehicle must display a purchased department decal, have a reasonably watertight hauling body, and carry a tarp, canvas or other approved cover so no waste is lost in transit; skipping either requirement is a per se violation. Vehicles must be kept properly maintained and carry the collector's name, address and phone number in at least two-inch lettering on the hauling body.

On the route itself, a collector may not dent, bend, puncture or otherwise damage a generator's container and must empty it and return it to its designated collection place, and collectors face a separate penalty for dumping mixed residential and commercial or industrial waste at any disposal facility.