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

Rock Hill's yard-waste program is driven by SC Code §44-96-190 (Yard Trash; Compost) of the SC Solid Waste Policy and Management Act of 1991, which prohibits any person from knowingly mixing yard trash and land-clearing debris with municipal solid waste intended for collection or disposal at a municipal solid-waste landfill or resource-recovery facility. The statute carries a fine of up to $200 per violation, enforceable by state, county, or municipal law enforcement officials or by the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (formerly DHEC). Rock Hill implements the state mandate through its YardCart program operated by City Public Works under Chapter 17 of the Code of Ordinances. Every residential customer can order a brown YardCart for $70 (paid in one payment or 10 monthly payments of $7) by submitting an online service request or calling 803-325-2500. The YardCart is shaped like the regular green garbage cart but holds grass clippings and other loose yard debris so the automated truck can pick it up at the curb. Eligible material: small piles of trimmings, raked vegetation, grass clippings, pine needles, pruned vegetation. The YardCart is collected weekly without the need for a service request - place it curbside with the green garbage cart and blue recycling bin no later than 6:30 AM on your scheduled collection day, four feet clear of other carts and obstructions. State law (SC §44-96-190) prohibits yard waste in the regular green garbage cart, so residents who choose not to order a YardCart must compost on-site or otherwise legally dispose of their yard waste. In addition to weekly YardCart service, City Public Works runs a seasonal loose-leaf curbside collection in November, December, and January - rake leaves to the curb (NOT into the street, to avoid storm-drain blockage) during the program window for separate vacuum-truck pickup. Large yard debris (limbs, branches) over what the YardCart holds goes through the bulky-item service-request program (limbs up to 12 ft long, 6 in diameter - see bulk-disposal subcategory).