Greenwood County, SC Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)

Section 8-1-44, the prohibited-acts section of Article C, spells out four ways a resident can misuse a county recycling container: selling or otherwise disposing of it, using it for any purpose other than valid bona fide recycling purposes, intentionally damaging or destroying it, or maintaining a container while not actively participating in the county's recycling program, or maintaining more than one container at a time. That fourth prohibition functions as the county's core participation requirement: a household must be an active participant in the recycling program to lawfully possess a container at all, and possession is capped at a single container per participant regardless of household size.

Because these four acts fall within Article C, any violation is punished under the article's general penalty in section 8-1-41: a $200.00 fine on conviction in magistrate's court, not suspendable unless the offender makes restitution for damage to the container. Officers may issue a uniform traffic ticket for the charge under section 8-1-42 rather than a full summons. Ownership of the container itself remains with the county under section 8-1-43, which is why misuse, resale or unauthorized possession of a container is treated as a violation against county property rather than a private dispute between neighbors.

A resident who stops participating in curbside recycling but keeps the county-issued bin therefore remains out of compliance with section 8-1-44 until the container is returned or use resumes.