Florence County, SC Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Florence County Code § 13-8
- Who may collect recyclables
- Only the franchised waste and recycling hauler
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Florence County only
- Enforcing agency
- Environmental Services officer, Sheriff's Office
- Court
- Florence County Magistrate's Court
- Exemptions
- Authorized haulers, law enforcement, same-business employees
Summary
In unincorporated Florence County, only the franchised waste and recycling hauler may remove recyclable materials once they are set out at the curb. County Code Sec. 13-8 bans scavenging of any public or private collection container and lets law enforcement or Environmental Services cite anyone, other than the hauler, who picks through curbside recycling or trash.
(a)Scavenging is prohibited in the County of Florence, South Carolina. Unless otherwise authorized by the Florence County government in writing, recyclable materials may not be removed by anyone other than the franchised waste and recycling hauler.(1)No person, other than the franchised waste and recycling hauler, shall remove recyclable materials which have been segregated from other waste materials and placed at the designated collection location for the purposes of collection and recycling.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 13 of the Florence County Code of Ordinances governs solid waste and recycling collection for the unincorporated area, and Sec. 13-8 makes scavenging a countywide violation. The ordinance is unconditional: recyclable materials may not be removed by anyone other than the franchised waste and recycling hauler unless the county authorizes another party in writing. Subsection (a)(1) extends the ban to any recyclable materials that a resident has segregated from trash and set out at the designated collection point, meaning neighbors, competing haulers or anyone hoping to salvage aluminum cans or cardboard for resale has no legal right to take it once it is at the curb for pickup.
Subsection (a)(2) broadens the prohibition to any public street, alley, right-of-way or private or government property, and bars anyone from climbing into, searching through, or removing contents from a solid waste or recycling container placed there for collection. Subsection (b) carves out a narrow exemption for authorized solid waste collection crews, law enforcement performing their duties, and members of the same business placing their own waste or recyclables in a shared receptacle on a public street or right-of-way. Environmental Services and the franchised hauler rely on this section to keep the county's recycling stream, and its revenue, intact.
The rule applies only to the unincorporated area; the City of Florence and the county's other municipalities run separate collection programs under their own codes.
Violations & Fines
Enforcement of Sec. 13-8 falls to the Florence County Environmental Services officer under Sec. 13-5, along with deputies, fire marshals, wildlife officers and other law-enforcement personnel with jurisdiction in the county. Violations are prosecuted in Florence County Magistrate's Court. The exemption in subsection (b) means authorized haulers, law enforcement performing their duties, and employees of the same business sharing a receptacle are not in violation, but a stranger who takes bagged aluminum cans off a curb is.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I take my neighbor's recycling for scrap in Florence County?
Does this rule apply inside the City of Florence?
Who enforces the scavenging ban?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Florence County
Compare Florence County to another location·View the South Carolina trash & recycling overview
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