Garbage cans, burning waste & more: trash laws Myrtle Beach, SC residents should know
For yet another year, Myrtle Beach was one of the most moved-to cities in the county in 2024. According to a recent report, for every 100 residents who moved away, 256 moved to Myrtle Beach.
While it isn’t the most glamorous aspect of beach life, waste collection is one of the most important functions in any city. If you’re new to Myrtle Beach, here’s what you should know about all things trash.
How it works
Per the City of Myrtle Beach’s website, residential waste collection customers get one roll cart — which the city calls pelicans — for trash and one pelican for recycling. The $30.80 monthly collection fee also includes regular pick-up for 2 cubic yards of bulk trash and yard waste.
Residents can get additional trash pelicans for an additional $11.80 each per month and extra recycling pelicans are free, according to the website.
For residents of apartments and condominiums, trash pick-up may be provided in bulk and recycling collection may not be offered by your complex. You can learn more about where to drop recyclables here.
Don’t burn trash
No matter where you are in South Carolina, the Palmetto State bans burning certain items, including trash.
Open burning can pose environmental and safety risks, according to the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services. In addition to causing brush, residential and forest fires, open burning can release toxic pollutants into the air and produce ash containing toxic metals.
These toxic materials can then be inhaled, ingested by children in contaminated soil or absorbed by produce through soil.
In South Carolina it’s illegal to burn:
Cardboard
Electrical wires
Farm chemicals
Garbage
Heating oil
Household cleaners
Insulation and duct work
Paper
Paint
Painted, stained or treated wood
Plastics
Roofing materials
Tires and rubber products
Myrtle Beach also specifically bans burning trash and yard trimmings. “It shall be unlawful for a person to engage in open burning of refuse and yard waste in the City of Myrtle Beach,” according to the code of ordinances.
Keep bins and piles contained
Per the City of Myrtle Beach, waste must be confined to waste containers and pelican lids must be able to close. That means no trash bags on or around waste containers.
According to the Myrtle Beach city website, bulk waste piles and yard waste piles should be placed 3 to 5 feet from other items out for collection and fixtures like telephone poles, fences, cars and fences.
No matter what kind of waste you’re putting out, according to the code of ordinances no refuse can block or enter storm drains, waterways or bodies of water.
Bring your trash out–and in
Pelicans ready for collection should be placed within 5 feet of the edge of the pavement no earlier than 6 p.m. the night before and no later than 6 a.m. the morning of collection, the code of ordinances says.
After collection, pelicans must be returned to the side or back of your home by 11 p.m. on the day of collection.
Both yard waste and bulk waste that collection services determine is either inaccessible or ineligible for collection must be removed within 48 hours of the collection day, according to the code of ordinances.
Know what’s collected
While most bulk waste is eligible for collection, it’s important to note that construction materials, like bricks, rubble, lumber and dirt won’t be picked up.
Additionally, South Carolina state law requires separate recycling for electronics like TVs and computers, so residents must call the Solid Waste and Recycling Division at 943-918-2160 for pick-up or drop the items off at the Jake Abraham Transfer Station at 3221 Mr. Joe White Ave.
For yard waste collection, loose debris must be confined to two-ply brown paper bags weighing a maximum of 25 pounds when full. Larger tree limbs can be placed in a pile curbside, but must be cut into sections that are no longer than 4 feet and no wider than 4 inches.
