Seasonal Events | Solid Waste Division

Recycling initiatives always involve events. To learn more about upcoming events, see our Upcoming Events page.

Note that the events sponsored by Greenville County cannot be accomplished without the help of dedicated volunteers. If you have a strong commitment to the environment and would like to explore opportunities to help increase recycling in Greenville County, see our Volunteer Opportunities page.

Greenville County hosts several seasonal events on a regular basis. These include:

America Recycles Day on November 15th
Grinding of the Greens after Christmas

Greenville County has also developed seasonal information to assist residents in minimizing wastes and recycling during seasonal increases in waste production. These include:

Leaf season waste minimization and recycling tips
Holiday season waste minimization and recycling tips

Earth Day, April 22

Decorate grocery bags for Earth Day! Greenville County students are using their artistic skills to raise awareness about environmental issues. They are decorating bags with environmentally friendly messages in honor of Earth Day. Once the bags are decorated, they will be returned to the grocery store to be used when customers purchase groceries on Earth Day. This project is observed at hundreds of schools throughout the nation. The message being portrayed by the students is a good way to remind adults and all of us to save our environment. Contact Greenville County's Environmental Education Specialist at 243-9672 or email to find out more about this activity or visit www.earthdaybags.org. Citizens in your area will get a very clear and positive message that the students at your school care about their environment.

Zero Tolerance For Litter

The Solid Waste Division, in partnership with PalmettoPride and the South Carolina Litter Control Association, promotes "Zero Tolerance for Litter" weekend every May. The event is designed to encourage all law enforcement agencies to target littering, uncovered loads and illegal dumping. The campaign also educates the public that littering is a crime with costly penalties. For more information about litter and how you can prevent litter, visit our Litter Programs page.

Special Events

Special events also arise from time to time. Some of the special events that Greenville County has sponsored in the past include:

Gas Can Exchange in June 2003 - Greenville County citizens turned in over 350 of their old gas cans for spill-proof plastic ones.
GROW (Gardening & Recycling Organics Wisely) Workshop.
Call 243-9672 for future workshop dates.
Nike Reuse-A-Shoe Program 2003-2004. Greenville County citizens turned in 6,400 old, worn out tennis shoes, which will be made into new sports surfaces! (In partnership with Rock N Ropes, McAlister Square Mall, Greenville County Schools, USC Aiken, the Carolina Panthers and Keep America Beautiful of Anderson County.)
Recycling and Litter Poster contest in October 2003. GC School District students, K-12, used their art to rein in litter and recycling in the first Recycling and Litter Poster Contest. The contest encouraged students to learn about Greenville CountyТs litter and solid waste issues and propose solutions through their art.
Compost Bin Sale, 1999-2004. From 1999-2004, the Greenville County Solid Waste Division hosted their Compost Bin Sale, selling a total of over 7,000 compost bins to Greenville County citizens.
The 2010 event will be held on April 24, 2010, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. in the Whole Foods parking lot located on Woodruff Rd. Call 243-9672 for more information on the compost bin sale. In addition there will be a lawnmower exchange event at the same location and time. For more information on the lawnmower exchange, call 467-7105.
Recycling dropoff box mural painting contest during the fall of 1999
Computer recycling event during the fall of 1999

Grinding of the Greens is sponsored by municipal governments to help deal with Christmas Tree recycling.

For the three weeks following New Years, the Cities have historically provided Christmas Tree recycling at the same locations from year to year. However, you should call and confirm locations and hours of operation prior to embarking on your Grinding of the Greens trip. The traditional locations include:

City of Fountain Inn at the City Garage on Jones Street (Confirm by calling 862-4421)
City of Greenville at Holmes Park on Holmes Drive; Gower Park on Evelyn Avenue, Timmons Park on Blackburn Street, West Greenville Recreation Center on Rochester Street, (Confirm by calling 467-4345)
City of Mauldin at Springfield Park on Hyde Circle (Confirm by calling 234-3491)
City of Simpsonville at Simpsonville City Park on East Curtis Street (Confirm by calling 967-9531)
City of Travelers Rest at City Hall on State Park Road (Confirm by calling 839-9020).

The County Wide Litter Pick Up is an annual event that occurs in the fall of each year. The 2009 event was held on Saturday October 24, 2009.

County Wide Litter Pick Up

In 1999, the President proclaimed November 15th as America Recycles Day. All but one state now celebrates America Recycles Day by asking Americans to recycle more, promote recycling, and buy recycled.

Simpsonville Student Wins Prize For Recycling Commitment

Carlos Mantilla of Oakview Elementary School in Simpsonville received the stateТs grand prize of a $1,000 U.S. Savings Bond for committing to recycle, DHEC announced on December 18, 2007.

MantillaТs pledge card was drawn from among nearly 23,000 cards submitted to DHECТs Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling as a part of America Recycles activities.

The presentation was made at Mantilla's school during a holiday concert. The S.C. Beverage Association sponsored the prize.

Waste Minimization and Recycling Tips

During the holiday season, waste generation can increase as much as 30%. To minimize your wastes during the holiday season, Greenville County offers several pointers:

Before Christmas

Plan your parties without disposable plates, cups, utensils, and recycle bottles and cans.
Buy wrapping paper and Christmas cards that can be easily recycled. Paper and cards containing foil and cards made from plastic cannot be recycled locally.
Buy a reusable artificial tree rather than a disposable one.
Use the fronts of old Christmas cards as gift tags for packages.
Give durable/non-disposable items as gifts to replace waste producing disposal type items: cloth napkins, coffee mugs, cloth shopping bags, etc.
Buy Christmas cards and wrapping paper made from recycled paper.
Use scarves, handkerchiefs, and bandanas in lieu of ribbons. Use old posters, maps, pages from coloring books, wallpaper and material/clothe scraps, paper bags, and colorful newsprint instead of wrapping paper. Use reusable wooden boxes and decorative bags for boxes.

On Christmas Day

Plan well and separate out the recyclable mixed paper from the trash
Save ribbons, bows, tissue, boxes, and wrapping paper if possible to use the following year.

After Christmas

Wrapping paper, paperboard (gift) boxes, and cards can be recycled together at any recycling drop box or Convenience Center. Please no foil or plastic.
Styrofoam packing can be recycled at Mailboxes Etc.
Wrapping paper, paperboard (gift) boxes, cards and cardboard boxes can be recycled together at any recycling drop box or Convenience Center. Please, no foil or plastic.
If you have large amounts of material for recycling after the holidays, please dispose of the material over a 2-3 week period if possible.
Recycle trees at one of the Grinding of the Greens' locations
If you are unable to utilize one of the tree recycling locations and you have curbside recycling, you may also place your tree at the curb for recycling. Where curbside recycling is not offered, you can bring trees to Greenville County Residential Waste & Recycling Facilities.
Christmas trees are ground into mulch that is available at the Twin Chimneys Landfill for free. Hours: Thursday-Saturday, 9am-12pm and 1-3pm.

Christmas Trees to Mulch at Twin Chimneys Landfill