What Can and Can't Go in a Dumpster in South Carolina

Yes — load it

• Household junk and furniture: sofas, tables, boxes, general clutter — and mattresses and box springs.
• Construction and renovation debris: lumber (treated lumber included), drywall and plaster, flooring, tile, siding, cabinets, pipes and insulation.
• Roofing: shingles and roofing materials — heavy, so mind the weight limit.
• Cardboard, packaging, glass and mirrors.
• Concrete, brick and masonry block — in weight-limited loads, kept separate.
• Yard waste: brush, limbs, stumps, logs and vegetation — in its own load, not mixed with household trash.

That list follows the state's own. SCDES regulation R.61-107.19, Appendix I, sets out what a Class Two construction and demolition landfill — like the one at the County's Wellford Landfill — may accept, and it includes bricks and masonry block, hardened concrete (rebar and all), lumber, plaster and plasterboard, shingles and roofing materials, floor covering, tile, painted waste including lead-based paint, dry paint cans, dry caulking tubes, pallets, mattresses, box springs and furniture.

What South Carolina law keeps out of landfills

Most of the no list comes from the Solid Waste Policy and Management Act (S.C. Code Title 44, Chapter 96) and the state electronics law:

The electronics ban covers consumer computers, monitors, printers and TVs with screens over 4 inches; phones and screens built into appliances are not covered devices. SCDES says some other electronics can still go legally to a household-trash landfill, but it encourages recycling all of them — and construction and demolition landfills refuse electronics outright (below).

What construction landfills refuse — and our boxes too

Most renovation and demolition loads go to a Class Two construction and demolition landfill, and R.61-107.19, Appendix II, lists what those must refuse: anything contaminated by petroleum products, PCBs, solvents, wood preservatives such as creosote — railroad ties and utility poles included — or pesticides; fluorescent and HID lamps, including metal halide and mercury vapor lamps; unpolished fiberglass body filler; liquid waste such as paint and paint thinner; and cathode ray tubes and electronics, including cameras, computers and monitors, microwave ovens, radios, stereos, TVs, VCRs and video game machines.

On top of that, our boxes keep out hazardous chemicals, paint products, tires, batteries and appliances that hold refrigerant. If you are unsure about something, call (864) 310-7644 before you toss it in — it is far cheaper than finding out at the gate.

No — and where it goes instead

The County says "Recycling services are provided to Spartanburg County residents only." Centers are open Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., except Station 16 Wellford and the Wellford Landfill, which close at 4:30 p.m.

Appliances and refrigerant

South Carolina defines "white goods" as refrigerators, ranges, water heaters, freezers, dishwashers, trash compactors, washers, dryers, air conditioners and commercial large appliances. S.C. Code §44-96-200 bars them from household trash bound for a household-trash landfill and bars those landfills from accepting them, with a fine of up to $200 per item. Federal law covers what is inside: for household fridges, freezers and window air conditioners, EPA says "The final person in the disposal chain (such as a scrap metal recycler or landfill owner) is responsible for ensuring that refrigerant is recovered." In Spartanburg County they go to the Cowpens, Hobbysville, Enoree, Stone Station or Wellford centers, fridges emptied first. That is why appliances stay out of the box.

Asbestos in South Carolina

Asbestos is regulated by SCDES — the SC Department of Environmental Services, formerly DHEC — under R.61-86.1. Work at a private residential structure of four units or fewer may be exempt, but the exemption is lost if the work is done by someone holding an asbestos abatement license, if it is part of a larger commercial or public project, or if it covers multiple structures in a "city block." As SCDES puts it, if a homeowner hires a licensed asbestos contractor, "the contractor must comply with all asbestos regulations." For buildings the rule covers, a written demolition application must reach SCDES at least ten working days before demolition starts, even if no asbestos is found. Before disposal, the generator needs a "permission for disposal" letter from SCDES's Bureau of Air Quality for the landfill, and a landfill may choose not to accept asbestos at all. Never burn it, and never put it loose in a roll-off.

Sorting: building debris, land-clearing and household trash

South Carolina sorts waste by the landfill that takes it, and it pays to sort it the same way. Construction and demolition debris — lumber, drywall, shingles, concrete, brick, furniture and mattresses — can go to a Class Two landfill. Household trash — bagged garbage, food and general cleanout junk — must go to a Class Three landfill. Yard trash and land-clearing debris must not be mixed into household trash bound for a Class Three landfill. The Wellford Landfill runs both a Class Two and a Class Three, and the County's FY26 fee schedule prices them on separate lines and lists a mixed-load surcharge as well. So keep brush and stumps out of a household cleanout box, and keep heavy concrete and brick apart from everything else. If you are not sure where something belongs, call before you load it.