Let's Talk Trash

In recent local news, concerns have been shared regarding the amount of litter and debris along our streets within the City of Florence. City crews are working to do their part by picking up litter prior to mowing along main thoroughfares, and a special work crew has been assigned to litter detail on a temporary basis. The City is asking our residents for help too. Would you be willing to be part of the solution? Here are a few ways you can assist:

• Commit to picking up litter and debris in the right-of-way in front of your residence
• Contact your local Keep Florence Beautiful Organization and be part of the solution, https://keepflorencebeautiful.org/
• REPORT Illegal dumping or littering, 843-665-3191

As a reminder, please find details listed below regarding the curbside collection offered by the City of Florence. ALL collections should be placed curbside in the city right-of-way by 7:30am on your designated collection day.

ITEMS NOT COLLECTED BY THE CITY OF FLORENCE:

• Building Materials
• Construction Debris
• Household/Office Furniture composed of wood or metal parts
• Mattresses and Box springs
• Appliances (refrigerators, ranges, water heaters, freezers, dishwashers, trash compactors, washers, dryers, air conditioners, and commercial large appliances)
• Waste tires
• Compost (the humus-like product of the process of composting waste)
• Soil, sand, and/or rock

HOUSEHOLD GARBAGE COLLECTION:

Residents receive a weekly household garbage collection. Assigned route information is available on the City’s website, Sanitation Division | City of Florence, SC. To limit the opportunity for spillage or litter, it is highly recommended that residents bag all garbage placed in the city roll cart.  Each resident is assigned a 95-gallon roll cart for collection.  Additional roll carts are available for purchase. 

RECYCLING

City Sanitation crews provide a weekly curbside recycling collection on the same day as a resident’s assigned garbage day. For a complete list of items that are/are not accepted with your recycling collection, please visit the City of Florence website, Recycle Florence | City of Florence, SC. City residents are provided one 18-gallon green bin for recycling collection.  Additional bins are available for purchase.

YARD WASTE COLLECTION:

Residents receive a weekly yard waste collection. Assigned route information is available on the City’s website, Yard Waste Collection/Free Mulch | City of Florence, SC. Due to staffing and equipment issues, yard waste collection has been challenging for the Sanitation Division for the past several months. When there is limited staff or equipment issues, garbage collection must take priority, and unfortunately on many occasions, crews have had to forego or delay yard waste collection. 

The City is working diligently to resume regular weekly yard waste collection. We recently purchased two additional Sanitation trucks, have budgeted for a new work crew in the upcoming budget year, and are also working on the development of a new route system that should distribute daily pickups more evenly and help create a more efficient collection for city residents.

Here are a few reminders about yard waste collection and how it is accepted:

• Bag all leaves, mulch, pine straw, and grass clippings. Similar yard and tree trimmings may also be bagged appropriately. Standard trash bags are permitted, but it is recommended to use biodegradable cellulose and/or paper bags. You may also place bags and loose yard debris in City issued roll carts on your designated yard waste collection day.
• Larger tree limbs can be placed at curbside for pickup but need to be cut into sections that are four feet long and no larger than four inches in diameter.
• Keep yard waste piles three-to-five feet away from other permanent fixtures, such as telephone poles, fences, meter covers, sprinkler heads, parked cars and other items that could be damaged during pick-up
• Yard waste cannot be mixed with any other trash or debris

Notes:

Special “on-call” collection is provided for oversized yard waste due to the bulky size and/or volume. In instances where very large tree limbs are impossible to cut and fit into the appropriate containers and cannot be removed during the weekly scheduled yard waste collection, the homeowner or occupant should call the Public Works Department office and request special “on-call” yard waste collection service. The Public Works Department, upon approval for pick-up, will assign or designate a specific day(s) for the collection of the oversized trash. The homeowner or occupant must place the yard waste to be collected in front of the property on the right-of-way as near to the evening before the assigned day of collection as possible.

Special "on-call" collection is only offered for yard waste. If you need to dispose of items that the City is unable to collect curbside please see the Florence County waste drop-off sites listed below. 

To purchase a roll cart or recycling bin or with questions about any of your curbside sanitation services, please contact the Public Works Department at 843-665-3236, 7:30am – 4:00pm, Monday – Friday. 

Need to dispose of items that the City is unable to collect curbside?  Florence County provides waste drop-off sites throughout Florence County with locations that are also convenient for city residents.

Drop off sites:

Hours:7AM – 7PM, Monday – Saturday, CLOSED: Sunday

For more information click the link below:

https://des.sc.gov/community/recycling-waste-reduction/where-recycle/florence-county-recycling-locations(opens in a new tab)