Recycling Tips | Solid Waste Division

Greenville County urges you to Recycle correctly and Recycle more:

Do not mix recyclables
Recycle more
Prevent recycling from being considered littering
Ensure recycling is successful

Think of recyclables as raw materials that will be used to manufacture new products. As with any raw materials, certain requirements have to be met in order for recyclables to be usable. If unacceptable or improperly prepared materials are placed in recycling containers, the entire load will be contaminated. To prevent this from happening, please clean recyclables prior to recycling them and only recycle those items that can be recycled in Greenville County.

Mixed Paper

Do not recycle the following:

Waxed paper
Carbon paper
Tissues
Foiled paper
Food-contaminated paper

Plastic

Do not recycle the following:

Diapers
Plastic grocery bags, films or wraps
Plastic tubs, such as yogurt and margarine
Pails, such as ice cream
Flowerpots and garden plastics
Food storage and microwave containers
Toys

Aluminum, Steel, and Aerosol Cans

Do not recycle the following:

Paint cans
Wire clothes hangers
Cooking pots

Glass Containers

Do not recycle the following:

Window glass
Light bulbs

Recycling dropoff boxes are also located at 6 staffed convenience centers. At convenience centers, you can also recycle the following additional items:

Usable latex paint
Antifreeze
Used oil
Oil filters
Oil bottles
Car batteries
Rechargeable batteries (Ni-Cd, Li-ion, Ni-MH)
Corrugated cardboard

You can also recycle hard-to-recycle items here in Greenville County at various locations.

We also encourage you to recycle appliances, tires, and yard wastes at the Twin Chimneys Landfill. See the map of recycling locations to locate the nearest convenience center to you.

Leaving your materials stacked outside a recycling dropoff container is littering and may subject you to fines under the County code. It also poses a safety hazard to others trying to use the dropoffs, looks unsightly, and sometimes results in dropoffs being banned from the parking lot of the sponsoring organizations. Please participate correctly by placing your recyclables inside the appropriate compartments!

Look at the labels on products that you buy. Products that are made from recycled materials usually state that they are "recycled." When you buy products made from recycled materials, you create a greater demand for recyclables. This helps ensure that recycling programs can continue to generate revenues from the sale of recyclables, and consequently make recycling affordable and economically feasible.