What Can Be Recycled
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.
The Environmental Management Department manages Charleston County's recycling and solid waste programs. The County's Material Recovery Facility (MRF) is located at 8099 Palmetto Commerce Parkway.
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.
Place the following items listed below in your blue recycling roll cart. Please put items loose in the cart, not in bags or boxes.
Paper
- Magazines
- Newspapers
- Office paper
- Envelopes
- Junk mail/envelopes
- Greeting cards
- Catalogs
- Books/textbooks
- Coupons
- Posters
- Sticky notes
- Paper bags
- Wrapping paper
Plastic Bottles & Containers
- Water bottles
- Soda bottles
- Milk jugs
- Liquid containers
- Jars and tubs (yogurt, margarine tubs, etc.)
- Detergent and all-purpose cleaner bottles
- Soap and shampoo bottles
- Rigid plastic product packaging, such as clean rigid clamshell containers (Remove any plastic film or aluminum)
- Plastic cups
Paperboard & Cardboard
- Corrugated cardboard boxes
- Soda/beverage boxes
- Shoe boxes
- Gift boxes
- Paper containers with metal bottoms (chips, nuts, coffee, powdered beverage, refrigerated dough, frozen juice concentrate, etc.)
- Clean food boxes (cereal boxes, microwave meals, boxes of rice, etc.)
- Paper towel rolls
- Paper egg cartons
- Paper Cups
Aluminum & Steel Cans
- Aluminum cans and caps/lids
- Steel and tin cans
Glass Bottles & Jars
- Glass bottles (caps and labels can be left on containers)
- Glass jars (lids and labels can be left on containers)
Cartons
- Milk & juice cartons
- Ice cream cartons
- Broth & soup cartons
Keep the following items out of your recycling cart:
- 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
- household garbage
- shredded paper
- food waste
- yard waste
- bulky plastic items (i.e. toys, hangers)
- batteries
- light bulbs
- electronics
- clothing and shoes
- construction debris (i.e. wood, insulation)
- rope-like items (i.e. garden hoses)
- medical waste (i.e. syringes)
- diapers or sanitary products
- propane tanks
- aluminum foil and trays
- motor oil and cooking oil
- paint
- empty aerosol (spray) cans
Why are these items not accepted?
Prohibited items will jam and/or damage automated machinery use to sort and bale recyclables.
For a list of how to properly dispose of common household items, please click here.
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.
Drop off these items at one of Charleston County's 8 Staffed Convenience Centers:
- Recyclables (listed above)
- Household hazardous waste (excluding Signal Point)
- Electronic waste (only household computers, monitors, printers and TVs)
- Yard waste (excluding Signal Point)
- Tires
- Paint
- Motor oil
- Batteries (car batteries, household batteries, battery acid, NiCad batteries)
- Scrap metal (excluding Signal Point)
- Appliances (excluding Signal Point)
- Light Bulbs (CFL light bulbs, fluorescent tubes)
- Antifreeze
- 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.
- Construction & demolition debris (Bees Ferry Convenience Center only)
There are many recycling dropsite locations throughout the County. Please note these locations are un-manned. The following items are accepted at a recycling dropsite: all paper, cardboard, plastic bottles & containers, aluminum & steel cans and glass.
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.
To view a list of convenience centers and dropsite locations, please click here.
