Rock Hill, SC Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)
Key Facts
- Fill limit
- Contents must sit below the rim
- Lid rule
- Closed except when filling/emptying
- Box prep
- Cartons must be flattened first
- Loose curb trash
- Collected but draws an Appendix A fee
- Second cart cost
- Adds 50% to monthly fee
Summary
Trash has to fit below the rim of your Rock Hill garbage cart with the lid closed, and every box or carton must be flattened before it goes in. Overflow left outside the cart still gets collected, but it draws an Appendix A fee. Need more room permanently? A second cart is available, though it adds 50 percent to the monthly bill.
(6)Household garbage and household refuse shall be placed in mobile containers so that the contents shall not extend above the rim of the container, which shall be closed at all times expect when filling and emptying. All boxes and cartons shall be broken down to their smallest dimensions before being deposited in mobile containers. Household garbage or household refuse placed at the curb which is not inside a mobile container when city collection crews arrive will be collected and a fee charged in accordance to Appendix A. Households that have excess household garbage or household refuse should contact the customer service center to purchase an additional mobile container. The monthly solid waste collection fee for the use of a second mobile container will be increased by 50 percent.
Full Breakdown
Section 17-61(6) sets the preparation standard for what goes out at the curb: household garbage and refuse must sit inside the mobile container so the contents don't extend above the rim, and the lid stays closed at all times except while filling or emptying it. Before anything goes in, boxes and cartons have to be broken down to their smallest dimensions so the container isn't wasted on empty air. If a household puts garbage or refuse at the curb outside the mobile container, city crews will still pick it up when they arrive, but that triggers a fee charged under the Appendix A fee schedule rather than a free pass.
The code steers households that consistently run over toward a permanent fix instead of routine overflow: contact the customer service center to purchase an additional mobile container under section 17-61(2). Once a second container is in service, section 17-61(6) adds a straight 50 percent increase to the monthly solid waste collection fee for using it. Related preparation duties sit nearby in the same chapter: section 17-61(5) makes it unlawful to put a contractor's solid or hazardous waste into a household container, and household garbage placed in mobile containers must be bagged, including animal or human waste such as diapers, with personal medical waste separately secured so it poses no danger to collection personnel.
Violations & Fines
Trash set at the curb outside the mobile container is not simply left for the next collection: the city still picks it up, but assesses a fee under the Appendix A fee schedule for that occurrence. There is no separate criminal penalty spelled out for a single overflow event, though chronic noncompliance with chapter 17's container and preparation rules falls under the chapter's general penalty clause in section 17-2, which allows a fine plus court-ordered restitution or community service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I leave extra bags of trash beside my cart?
Do I have to break down boxes before putting them in the cart?
What if one cart isn't big enough for my household's trash?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rock Hill
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