In Spartanburg County, SC, brush and leaves that your city or town does not collect go to county sites, including the landfill on Little Mountain Road in Wellford, which Landrum points its residents to when city brush pickup is not running. Yard waste is kept out of ordinary landfills under South Carolina law, and burning outside city limits requires notifying the S.C. Forestry Commission first.
City, town or county: start there
Who handles your yard debris depends on whether you live inside a municipality. Inside a city or town such as Spartanburg, Landrum, Inman, Chesnee, Campobello, Duncan or Woodruff, start with the town hall, since each sets its own rules. A lot of the county's population lives outside any of them, though. Boiling Springs, for example, is a census-designated place with no town government of its own, so there is no town public works department to call. Outside a municipality, plan on the county's own sites, a private hauler or a rented container, and look up the county solid waste division's current list of sites and accepted materials before you load.
Landrum's brush pickup and the Wellford landfill
Landrum's debris page shows how a town schedule works. The city picks up brush and leaves on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month in two seasons, September to October and March to April. Outside those months, the page sends residents to the landfill on Little Mountain Road in Wellford, which it says accepts brush and leaves when city pickup is off. Other towns run different schedules, so check yours. If you are just outside Landrum, the city's pickup does not reach you, but the Wellford landfill is the same answer.
Why brush is handled separately
The state's solid waste law bans yard waste from landfills, which is why county sites collect it in its own area and grind or compost it rather than burying it with household trash. The same law keeps whole tires out of landfills and lead-acid batteries out of mixed household waste. For you, that means a load of brush should be just brush: no bags, no trash, no wire, no lumber. Mixed loads get turned away or charged differently. Untangle fence wire and pull plastic pots out of a garden cleanup pile before it goes on the trailer.
Questions to ask before hauling stumps
Stumps are where county rules differ most. Some sites take land-clearing debris, some take only limbs under a set size, and some refuse stumps outright. Before you lift one onto a trailer, call the county solid waste division and ask whether stumps and root balls are accepted, at which site, how much clinging dirt they will tolerate, and whether a load cut by a hired crew counts as commercial. Many people find out the hard way that a root ball weighs several times what they guessed.
Notifying the Forestry Commission
South Carolina does not hand out burn permits. What the law asks for instead, anywhere outside a city or town, is a notice to the S.C. Forestry Commission before a yard debris fire is lit, made online at scfc.gov/notify or by the county's toll-free line. The fire must be plant material only, ringed by a cleared firebreak, with tools on hand, and watched until it is completely out. That covers Boiling Springs and every other unincorporated community. Inside a city, the fire department is the one to ask.
Red Flag alerts and burning bans
The Forestry Commission draws a line between two warnings that sound alike. A Red Flag Fire Alert is a warning about wildfire danger. It does not prohibit burning, but the commission asks people to postpone. A burning ban is different: it legally prohibits outdoor burning, and it is used only as an emergency measure. Spring is the risky stretch: the commission counts January through mid-April as the state's usual fire season. The commission also points out that letting a fire escape is against the law even if you notified, and you can be sued for damage it causes.
When hauling it all at once makes sense
A storm, a cleared fence row or a long-neglected backyard can leave more than a pickup can carry in a weekend. A container dropped in the drive takes brush at whatever pace suits you and leaves in one trip, as long as the load stays clean and it is booked as brush. In northern Spartanburg County, containers go out from Tryon. For the stumps themselves, grinding below grade leaves only grindings behind; read about stump grinding in Spartanburg County.
Common Questions
Where can I take brush in Spartanburg County SC?
Inside a city or town, start with its pickup. Outside town limits, use the county's sites. The City of Landrum points residents to the landfill on Little Mountain Road in Wellford for brush and leaves when city pickup is not running. Check the county solid waste division's current site list before you go.
When does Landrum pick up brush and leaves?
Landrum's debris page lists pickup on the second and fourth Wednesdays during September and October and during March and April. Outside those months, the city directs residents to the landfill on Little Mountain Road in Wellford, which accepts brush and leaves.
Do I have to notify anyone to burn leaves in Boiling Springs SC?
Yes. Boiling Springs is not an incorporated town, so the state's notice rule for burning outside city limits applies there. Tell the S.C. Forestry Commission first at scfc.gov/notify or by phone, burn only plant material and keep watch until the last of it is out.
What to Do Next
A brush cleanup too big for the truck, or stumps you would rather not move? Phone (828) 574-4474 about a roll-off dumpster or a grinding quote, and read the burning rules for both states before lighting anything.