In Greenville County, SC, residents can take yard waste to the county's residential waste and recycling centers or to Twin Chimneys Landfill, where it is collected separately and recycled, with tree trimmings limited to pieces under six inches thick and six feet long. Curbside pickup depends on where you live: cities collect inside their limits, and Greater Greenville Sanitation serves parts of the unincorporated county with its own brush and leaf rules.
Who picks up depends on your address
Greenville County's answer book splits it three ways. Cities handle collection inside their own limits. Greater Greenville Sanitation, a special purpose district created by the state legislature in 1968, collects in certain unincorporated areas. Private haulers serve the rest of the unincorporated county. So a house in Greer or Mauldin follows its city's rules, while one in Taylors, which is a census-designated place rather than a city, may be in the sanitation district or on a private hauler. Look at your trash bill or call the county if you are not sure which applies to you.
The residential centers and their limits
The county runs six staffed residential waste and recycling centers: Enoree and O'Neal near Greer, Simpsonville, Piedmont, Echo Valley near Travelers Rest and Marietta, and Blackberry Valley on the west side, plus the landfill. The centers are for residential waste only, with no construction debris and no businesses, and each vehicle is limited to three cubic yards a day. Proof of residence is required at every staffed solid waste facility. The county notes that these centers collect yard waste separately because state law bans it from the landfill. Check the county's page for temporary closures before you go.
Size limits on limbs
The county's residential rate sheet lists yard and brush waste as loose leaves and grass clippings, plus tree and branch trimmings under six inches across and under six feet long. Cut limbs to those limits before loading, because a trailer of long, thick limbs causes trouble at the gate. Anything larger, a trunk section or a stump, is a different question. The rate sheet does not list stumps or land-clearing debris at all, so call the solid waste division before hauling either. All commercial haulers have to use Twin Chimneys Landfill, not the residential centers.
Greater Greenville Sanitation's brush and leaf rules
In the sanitation district, tree waste set out for pickup cannot be longer than six feet or thicker than six inches, the same limits the county uses. Brush piles must be only yard waste, with no garbage or leaves mixed in, and brush goes between the curb and the sidewalk, apart from leaf piles. Loose leaf season runs from November through February. Leaves go loose into the edge of the street, not bagged, about a foot out from the curb and away from storm drains. Debris from a contractor who trims trees or shrubs for hire is not collected: the contractor has to remove it.
Mulch from the landfill
Twin Chimneys Landfill, which has a Honea Path address, runs a mulch program for Greenville County residents. The rate sheet lists set days and times when staff load mulch, a loading charge per scoop with a half scoop free, and bulk mulch priced by the ton, payable by cash or check. It is a good use for the brush the county collects, and for a big bed project it can make sense. Check the current schedule and terms before you drive down, since staff cannot load outside those times.
Stumps and big cleanups
Neither the residential centers nor the sanitation district's curbside pickup is built for stumps or a cleared lot's worth of brush. A stump headed off the lot means a heavy load and a call to the county first. Most yard stumps never need to leave: grinding takes them below grade where they stand. For a big pile of brush and limbs, a roll-off container lets you load it all and have it leave in one trip. In the northern part of the county, toward Travelers Rest and Greer, ask whether yours is in range.
Burning instead
In the unincorporated county, Taylors included, a yard debris fire needs advance notice to the S.C. Forestry Commission under state law; give it at scfc.gov/notify or by phone. Keep the fire to leaves, limbs and other plant material, rake a bare firebreak, have tools and water ready and stay until it is dead out. Within the cities, the local fire department sets the rules. In a subdivision of close-set houses, smoke drifting into a neighbor's windows is reason enough to haul instead. The NC and SC burning guide covers the rest.
Common Questions
Can I take brush to a Greenville County recycling center?
Yes, as a county resident with proof of residence. The residential centers collect yard waste separately, with limbs under six inches thick and six feet long, up to three cubic yards per vehicle a day. They do not take construction debris or business loads, and the rate sheet does not list stumps.
Will Greater Greenville Sanitation pick up limbs from a tree service?
No. The district's green waste page says it does not collect debris from contractors who trim trees or shrubs for hire. The contractor has to remove it. Make sure hauling is in the price before the work starts.
Does Greenville County sell mulch from yard waste?
Yes. Twin Chimneys Landfill runs a mulch program for county residents on set days, with a loading charge per scoop, a half scoop free and bulk mulch by the ton, cash or check only. Check the county's current rate sheet and schedule before going.
What to Do Next
No center wants the stumps, and the brush pile keeps growing? Talk to Jordan on (828) 574-4474. See stump grinding in Greenville County or roll-off dumpster rental.