Charleston County provided the following holiday recycling schedule and tips:
Curbside Recycling Pick up:
- Curbside recycling collection will NOT occur on Christmas Day, Monday, December 25, or New Years Day, Monday, January 1, 2024, with collection delayed one day the remainder of the week. Crews will work on Saturdays.
- Click here to use the online recycling pick up schedule lookup to determine your next scheduled recycling collection day.
- Please allow for delays during the holidays due to anticipated heavy volume on routes. Residents should place carts curbside by 7 a.m. to ensure pick up.
- If you suspect you’ve been missed, please leave the cart at the curb, and do not pull it back in. Our crews often work into the late evening, so please check your cart the next morning and contact 843-720-7111, or text “hello” to Citibot at 843-800-4121 if it is still full.
Staffed Convenience Centers:
- Closed Monday, December 25, Tuesday, December 26, and Wednesday, December 27 in observance of the Christmas holiday. Staffed Convenience Centers will reopen on Thursday, December 28 from 7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
- Closed Monday, January 1, 2024 in observance of New Year’s Day and reopening on Tuesday, January 2 from 7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Environmental Management Department – Administrative Offices:
- Closed Monday, December 25, Tuesday, December 26, and Wednesday, December 27 in observance of the Christmas holiday.
- Closed Monday, January 1, 2024 in observance of New Year’s Day.
- Curbside recycling may run on days that County offices are closed, please click here to use the online recycling pick up schedule lookup to determine your next scheduled recycling collection day.
Charleston County’s Environmental Management Department is asking residents to go green this holiday season by composting live Christmas trees, used cooking oil, and other accepted items. To compost trees, residents should remove all decorations such as lights, tinsel, ornaments, etc. Some municipalities will pick trees up curbside, or they can be taken to a convenience center. The trees picked up curbside are transported to the McGill Bees Ferry Compost Facility to be ground and composted. Used cooking oil can be dropped off at one of Charleston County’s eight staffed Convenience Centers.
All paper, including gift wrapping, flattened cardboard boxes, and other products (plastic bottles & containers, glass bottles & jars and aluminum & steel cans) can be recycled through the curbside program and at the numerous drop-site locations and Convenience Centers located throughout the County. Flatten all cardboard boxes before placing in your recycling cart. If you have oversized boxes, cut them down to fit in your recycling cart. All material must fit in the cart with the lid closed. Overflow recyclable material (including cardboard) may be dropped off at any recycling dropsite location.
For more information on recycling or to schedule a tour of the Recycling Center, contact the Charleston County Environmental Management Department at (843) 720-7111 or visit recycle.charlestoncounty.org.
Below are other helpful tips you can follow for environmental awareness this holiday season:
Decorating:
- Choose natural or reusable decorations over disposable ones.
- Use LED holiday lights to save money as it reduces energy consumption. LEDs also have a longer lifespan.
- Decorate your tree with household items such as strings of popcorn and berries instead of tinsel.
- Pumpkins and gourds can be composted. If you buy a live tree, recycle it!
Gift Giving:
· Recycle all paper including gift wrap, tissue paper, gift bags, boxes, and cardboard.
· Buy holiday cards printed on recycled paper. Wrap gifts in newspaper comics or wrapping paper made with recycled content.
· Give sustainable gifts like reusable shopping bags, organic products, or experiences that produce long term memories rather than physical items that may end up in a landfill.
· Shop with reusable bags and bring a reusable water bottle with you to avoid single-use plastics.
· Support local artisans and small and women/minority-owned businesses to reduce the carbon footprint of products and support our local economy.
· Avoid purchasing over-packaged items. Drop off packaging material such as Styrofoam peanuts and bubble wrap at your local shipping store; they will gladly reuse it.
· Remember to recycle outdated electronics.
Entertaining:
- Use reusable cups, plates, and utensils.
- Use cloth napkins and tablecloths instead of disposable ones.
- Recycle and compost at your holiday party.
Cooking:
- Compost food waste with yard clippings in a backyard home composting program, or sign up for the region’s free residential compost program and drop off your food scraps anytime at a convenient location near you.
- Purchase only as much food as needed and be sure to store and prepare properly to avoid food waste generation. Not only will this reduce waste, but it will make your food dollars go further.
- Have a plan for leftovers and store them properly so they can be enjoyed later.
Entertaining:
- Share your sustainable holiday experiences and tips with friends and family to raise awareness and inspire others to make eco-friendly choices.
- Contribute to the local community by volunteering or supporting local charities and causes.
