Columbia, SC Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)

Section 19-37(c) is explicit about both separation and placement: "Shrubbery trimmings, tree trimmings, grass clippings, leaves and other outdoor vegetation shall be kept separate from all other garbage, rubbish or other household materials and be placed contiguous to the front of the premises off of the paved portion of the street right-of-way, but not in median strips or in front of property of another without consent." That means yard debris cannot be bagged in with household garbage, cannot block the paved street, and cannot be piled on a median or a neighbor's frontage without that neighbor's consent.

The same subsection sets a hard size limit on woody debris: "Tree limbs shall not exceed six feet in length or have diameters greater than eight inches." Anything larger falls outside routine yard waste collection and typically requires the special bulky-item arrangement under § 19-37(b) instead. Two related provisions bound what the city will pick up for free: § 19-41(e) excludes debris from land clearing ordered by the health department or resulting from construction or demolition, and § 19-41(f) excludes debris from commercial cutting operations, requiring tree surgeons and landscapers to dispose of their own waste at no cost to the city. Those carve-outs mean the free yard waste program is meant for a homeowner's routine yard maintenance, not for land clearing or paid tree service work.