Pickens County, SC Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)

Chapter 34 of the Pickens County Code creates the county's recycling framework inside its broader solid waste system. Section 34-1 appoints the recycling coordinator as a county constable with authority to enforce the litter, garbage disposal and junkyard provisions of the code, a role the county council created by resolution back in 1993. The department of solid waste management, supervised by a solid waste manager under §§ 34-56 and 34-57, handles day-to-day recycling operations: operating and maintaining recycling equipment and collection containers, routing collection vehicles, coordinating recycling activities with the county's municipalities, and enforcing Chapter 34 generally.

Section 34-84 defines 'recyclable materials' as materials capable of being recycled that would otherwise be processed or disposed of as solid waste, and defines 'recycling' as any process by which those materials are collected, separated, processed and reused or returned to use as raw materials or products. Recycling access is limited to individual residents: § 34-78(b) makes it unlawful for businesses, licensed collectors, municipalities, or commercial and industrial establishments to dispose of solid waste at the county's recycling centers at all, reserving that drop-off capacity for household waste.

The county can also contract with municipalities and private agencies for recycling center operation under § 34-58, subject to state DHEC rules and a requirement that those agreements protect the county from liability for accidents or equipment damage.