Residential Recycling
Charleston County Environmental Management provides single stream recycling collection to single-family households, multi-family communities, schools, and commercial businesses. With single stream recycling, also known as All-In-One Recycling, you can combine paper products, cardboard, plastic bottles & containers, aluminum and glass all together - there is no sorting required, which makes it easier for you to recycle more.
The Charleston County residential recycling program is single stream instead of separating recyclables by type. Residents can combine all paper, cardboard, glass, aluminum and plastic containers into one wheeled roll cart.
To learn more about the County's Recycling Program, program history, or collection guidelines, please visit:
For those that do not meet the single-family household or multi-family community criteria, please use:
Contact
Environmental Management
Office
Phone: (843) 720-7111
Fax: (843) 720-7115
Email: Recycle@CharlestonCounty.org
Social: Environmental Management
Recycle Center Hours: M – F | 7:30AM – 6:00PM
Bees Ferry Landfill
Phone: (843) 571-0929
Fax: (843) 571-1265
Convenience Centers
All Staffed Convenience Centers: Mon. – Sat. | 7:30AM – 6:00PM CLOSED Sunday
Signal Point Road Convenience Center: Tues. – Sat. | 10:00AM – 6:00PM CLOSED Friday, Sunday, and Monday
NOTE: The Romney Street Convenience Center is CLOSED
User Fees
The Solid Waste User Fee is the principal funding source for the County's solid waste management programs. The User Fee is applied to individual parcels and is divided into two main categories: Residential and Commercial. The residential User Fee is included as part of the annual Real Property Tax Bill.
The commercial User Fee is billed separately and is based on the prior year's volume as reported by the hauler.
Single Family
$99 per single family residence - Includes mobile homes
Multi-Family
$70 per multi-family unit - I.E.: Apartments
Commercial
$172 per cubic yard of garbage
The User Fee funds programs and services that include but are not limited to:
- Curbside recycling collection
- Drop off sites and convenience centers
- Waste transfer and disposal
- Material recovery facility (recycling center)
- Composting facility
- Household hazardous waste program
- Administration
For those that do not meet the single-family household or multi-family community criteria, please use the Business Recycling Schedule.
User Fee Rate Computations — Residential Accounts
User Fee Rate Computations — Commercial Accounts
Residential Recycling Schedule & Pick-up
NEW 2025 Countywide Recycling Schedule
NEW 2025 Downtown Recycling Schedule
NOTE: These schedules are for single-family residential homes in Charleston County ONLY.
Businesses, multi-family apartments/condos, and schools please use
Residential Recycling Schedule
Pick-up schedules affected by county holidays
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Republic Services will take over collection of recyclables on June 6, 2022. As part of the transition, the collection schedule will expand from four days a week to five days a week.
Recycling collection will remain every two weeks.
Answer:Some residents will experience a change in service day or week.
New collection schedules are posted at www.Recycle.CharlestonCounty.org. Residents with a change in collection day or week will be notified by a postcard as well. Current collection schedules will remain the same until June 6, 2022.
Answer:If a holiday falls on a weekday, collection will be delayed one (1) day for the remainder of the week.
For example, if the holiday falls on Monday, then Monday's collection will be on Tuesday and the one-day delay will occur for the remainder of the week. Collection will occur on Saturdays if needed. Republic Services may not follow all Charleston County holidays. Please refer to the newsletter for all observed holidays that may delay recycling collection.
Answer:The acceptable material will stay the same including all paper, cardboard, plastic bottles & containers, aluminum & steel cans and glass.
Answer:Residents do not need to order a new cart.
Republic will continue to service the current 95-gallon recycling carts.
Answer:All customer service contacts remain the same.
Residents can contact Charleston County using the following methods:
- Phone: (843) 720-7111
- Email: Recycle@CharlestonCounty.org
- Live Chat: Environmental Management (browser window bottom-right)
- Text Citibot: (843) 800-4121
- Facebook: @CharlestonCountyEnvironmentalManagement
Answer:
Recycling Do's and Don'ts
The Environmental Management Department manages Charleston County's recycling and solid waste programs.
The County's Material Recovery Facility (MRF) is located at:
Material Recovery Facility (MRF)
Phone: (843) 720-7111
NOTE: To protect the health and safety of our drivers, Charleston County Environmental Management will be collecting material contained inside your recycling cart ONLY. Do not leave material outside of your cart. Please flatten all cardboard boxes and cut them to size, if necessary. Overflow recyclable material may be dropped off at any one of Charleston County’s many dropsite locations.
Charleston County Environmental Management provides single stream recycling collection to single-family households, multi-family communities, schools, and commercial businesses. With single stream recycling, also known as All-In-One Recycling, you can combine paper products, cardboard, plastic bottles & containers, aluminum and glass all together - there is no sorting required, which makes it easier for you to recycle more.
Please use the list below to help identify approved recyclable items.
For a list of how to properly dispose of common household items, please view the Comprehensive Recycling List.
Please place items loose in the blue recycling roll cart, not in bags or boxes.
Items listed in green CAN be placed into the recycling roll cart.
Items listed in red CAN'T be placed into the recycling roll cart.
- Detergent and all-purpose cleaner bottles
- Jars and tubs:
- Yogurt, margarine tubs, etc.
- Liquid containers
- Milk jugs
- Plastic cups
- Rigid plastic product packaging, such as clean rigid clamshell containers (Remove any plastic film or aluminum)
- Soap and shampoo bottles
- Soda bottles
- Water bottles
- Bulky plastic items I.E.: Toys and hangers
- Plastic bags I.E.: Shopping bags, cereal bags, trash bags
- Plastic wrap I.E.: Thin plastic food wrap or shrink wrapping/product packaging
- Styrofoam packaging or food containers
Prohibited items will jam and/or damage automated machinery use to sort and bale recyclables.
- Aluminum cans and caps/lids
- Steel and tin cans
- Aluminum foil and trays
- Batteries
- Electronics
- Empty aerosol (spray) cans
- Propane tanks
Prohibited items will jam and/or damage automated machinery use to sort and bale recyclables.
- Books/textbooks
- Catalogs
- Coupons
- Envelopes
- Greeting cards
- Magazines
- Mail/envelopes
- Newspapers
- Office paper
- Paper bags
- Posters
- Sticky notes
- Wrapping paper
- Laminated paper
- Shredded paper
- Wax paper
Prohibited items will jam and/or damage automated machinery use to sort and bale recyclables.
- Broth & soup cartons
- Clean food boxes:
- Cereal boxes, microwave meals, boxes of rice, etc.
- Corrugated cardboard boxes
- Gift boxes
- Ice cream cartons
- Milk & juice cartons
- Paper containers with metal bottoms:
- Chips, nuts, coffee, powdered beverage, refrigerated dough, frozen juice concentrate, etc.
- Paper Cups
- Paper egg cartons
- Paper towel rolls
- Shoe boxes
- Soda/beverage boxes
- Clothing and shoes
- Construction debris:
- I.E.: Wood and Insulation
- Diapers or sanitary products
- Food waste
- Household garbage
- Light bulbs
- Medical waste
- I.E.: Syringes
- Motor oil and cooking oil
- Paint
- Rope-like items
- I.E.: Garden hoses
- Yard waste
Prohibited items will jam and/or damage automated machinery use to sort and bale recyclables.
Collection Guidelines
Proper cart placement makes Charleston County's automated collection safer, cleaner, and more efficient.
- Place recycling at the curb by 7am on your recycling day, or the night before
- Set your cart at least 3 feet away from cars, mailboxes, and trees or shrubbery.
- Make sure the handles of the cart are facing your house.
- Only Charleston-County issued recycling roll carts can be used for this program. Old 22-gallon recycling bins cannot be collected at the curb; feel free to use these bins for recycling stations around your home, or return them to a Charleston County Convenience Center.
- Please flatten cardboard boxes and place them in the cart. Please cut large boxes, like appliance boxes, down to size so that they can fit in the cart. Oversized boxes may be taken to a Charleston County recycling dropsite location.
- All material must fit in the cart with the lid closed. Material on top of the cart or beside the cart will not be collected.
Before you recycle:
- Empty and rinse all containers to remove food residue
- Flatten paperboard and corrugated cardboard
Convenience Centers and Dropsites
What can be recycled at a convenience center or drop site location?
Convenience Centers are staffed centers that will accept approved items listed above, along with the items listed below from residents only:
- Recyclables (items listed above)
- Electronics (only household computers, monitors, printers and TVs)
- Hazardous household materials (excluding Signal Point)
- Light bulbs (CFL light bulbs, fluorescent tubes)
- Household garbage
- Yard waste (excluding Signal Point)
- Tires
- Paint
- Batteries (car batteries, household batteries, battery acid, NiCad batteries)
- Scrap metal and appliance (excluding Signal Point)
- Battery acid
- Propane tanks, helium tanks, and fire extinguishers MUST be left with staff. These items must be emptied before being brought to any Convenience Center and will not be accepted if they are not completely emptied.
- Motor oil and antifreeze
- Construction and demolition debris.
- Gasoline (Bees Ferry Convenience Center only)
If you have any questions, contact Environmental Management at (843) 720-7111.
NOTE: Dropsites are available for use by residents and businesses, but Convenience Centers can accept household recyclables ONLY from commercial businesses. Convenience Centers do not accept commercial yard waste, trash, construction & demolition debris, and hazardous waste materials.
NOTE: Signal Point Road Center (1716 Signal Point Road, Charleston 29412) is not a full service convenience center. Yard waste, household garbage, construction & demolition debris, scrap metal, appliances and propane tanks are not accepted at this location.
NOTE: Dropsite locations are un-manned. The following items are accepted at a recycling dropsite: all paper, cardboard, plastics bottles and containers, aluminum & steel cans and glass. All cardboard dropped off at a convenience center or dropsite location must be flattened, All packaging (styrofoam, bubble wrap, etc.) is not accepted and should be removed.
Convenience Centers Rules
Convenience Center Locations
Recycle Center Administrative Offices: Mon. – Fri. | 8:00AM – 4:30PM CLOSED Sunday
Staffed Convenience Centers: Mon. – Sat. | 7:30AM – 6:00PM CLOSED Sunday
Signal Point Rd. Convenience Center: Tues. – Sat. | 10:00AM – 6:00PM
Staffed Convenience Centers
Adams Run Convenience Center
Hours of Operation
Monday - Saturday CLOSED Sunday
7:30AM - 6PM
Wednesday and Sunday
1PM - 6PM
Bees Ferry Convenience Center
Hours of Operation
Monday - Saturday CLOSED Sunday
7:30AM - 6PM
Sunday
1PM - 6PM
Edisto Island Convenience Center
Hours of Operation
Monday - Saturday CLOSED Sunday
7:30AM - 6PM
Wednesday and Sunday
1PM - 6PM
Hollywood Convenience Center
Hours of Operation
Monday - Saturday CLOSED Sunday
7:30AM - 6PM
Wednesday and Sunday
1PM - 6PM
Address
Maxville Road Convenience Center
Hours of Operation
Monday - Saturday CLOSED Sunday
7:30AM - 6PM
Wednesday and Sunday
1PM - 6PM
Address
River Road Convenience Center
Hours of Operation
Monday - Saturday CLOSED Sunday
7:30AM - 6PM
Wednesday and Sunday
1PM - 6PM
Signal Point Road Convenience Center
Hours of Operation
Tuesday - Saturday: CLOSED Sunday
10AM - 6PM
Wadmalaw Convenience Center
Hours of Operation
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday - Saturday:
7:30AM - 6PM
Wednesday and Sunday
1PM - 6PM
Address
Legend
1 Household Garbage
2 Construction & Demolition (C&D) debris/bulk items
3 Scrap Metal
4 Used Tires
5 Recycling
6 Yard debris
7 Cement/Bricks
8 Household Hazardous Waste (HHW)
9 E-Waste
10 Oil/Batteries/Bulbs
11 Gasoline
# Unavailable
Un-Manned Dropsites
Dropsites are available for use by residents and businesses, but Convenience Centers can accept household recyclables ONLY from commercial businesses. Convenience Centers do not accept commercial yard waste, trash, construction & demolition debris, and hazardous waste materials.
MUSC Central Energy Plant
Address
DMV Parking Lot
Whipple Rd. (Recreation Complex)
Wild Dunes Convention Center
Fire Station #1
Bert's Red & White Parking Lot
Baptist Hill Middle/High School
St. Paul's Service Center
Address
Charleston Air Force Base
Address
100 W. Stewart Ave., Joint Base Charleston, SC
Charleston County Library
Address
6325 Dorchester Rd., N. Charleston, SC
Charleston County Public Service Building
Cross County Rd. Fire Station
Trident Technical College
Address
7000 Rivers Ave., N. Charleston, SC
Charleston County
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