Trash and recycling pickup in Mount Pleasant: schedule, holidays, bulk

Last checked Oct. 12, 2026. Facts on this page come from the Town of Mount Pleasant curbside collection page, its 2026 Waste Management Calendar (PDF) and Charleston County’s recycling page.

Two governments pick up after Mount Pleasant. The Town of Mount Pleasant Public Services Department collects household garbage and bulky trash once a week, on the same day. Charleston County collects curbside recycling every other week. Your days depend on your neighborhood.

Who to call

• Garbage, yard debris, bulky items, roll carts, a missed pickup: Town of Mount Pleasant Public Services, 843-849-2022
• Recycling, hazardous waste, convenience centers: Charleston County Environmental Management, 843-720-7111
• A stolen roll cart: report it first to police dispatch, 843-884-4176, then call Public Services with the incident number
• Find your days: the town’s subdivision pickup schedule and the county’s curbside recycling lookup

Find your pickup day

The town’s 2026 calendar lists every subdivision and major road under one weekday. A few examples from the list:

Some long roads, such as U.S. 17, Bowman Road and Rifle Range Road, are split between days by section. If your street is not on the calendar, call Public Services.

Garbage: the brown roll cart

• Have the town-issued cart at the curb by 7 a.m., handles facing the house, clear of mailboxes and cars. Trucks keep no set time and may come later in the day.
• Take the cart back in within 12 hours of pickup.
• The town issues one 90-gallon or 65-gallon cart at no cost, and it stays with the house when you move. A second cart costs $70 from Public Services; the limit is two per home.
• Nothing outside the cart is collected, including extra bags and cardboard. Break boxes down and put them inside the cart or in recycling.
• Do not put landscape or construction materials in the cart. The crew will skip it.
• Sharps go in a closed, puncture-proof container marked “Not Recyclable” before they go in the cart.

Yard debris and bulky trash, same day as garbage

Put trash piles at the curb on your garbage day, on the road edge, not on the lawn, a manhole or a storm drain. The town’s trash page says to keep separate piles, because yard debris goes to composting and the rest goes elsewhere:

• Yard debris: grass clippings and leaves in brown paper yard bags only, plus brush and tree limbs cut to 4 feet or shorter and no more than 8 inches across. No stumps.
• Appliances and metal items. Remove refrigerator doors first.
• Furniture and other non-food household items.

The town will not collect electronics, tires, batteries, wet paint, engine parts, bricks, concrete, hazardous chemicals or debris left by a contractor. Charleston County takes most of those at its convenience centers.

Recycling: the county cart, every other week

Charleston County collects single-family recycling every other week. Find your color and week on the county’s curbside recycling lookup or in its 2026 recycling newsletter (PDF). Paper, cardboard, plastics, cans and glass bottles go in the cart; check the county’s list for what it takes. Only county-issued carts are collected.

The town also takes two things itself at its maintenance facility, 1365 Sweetgrass Basket Parkway: used motor oil and gas-oil mixes (up to 5 gallons a visit, households only) and oyster shells, which go back into reef building.

Holidays

The town’s 2026 calendar lists these days with Town Hall closed and no garbage or trash collection:

Routes still run on the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, Nov. 27, and on Thursday, Dec. 24, even though Town Hall is closed. For when a skipped route is made up, call 843-849-2022.

County recycling is pushed back one day for the rest of the week after Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 26, and Christmas, Friday, Dec. 25. The county says its hauler, Republic Services, does not observe other holidays.

Convenience centers and hazardous waste

The nearest staffed county convenience center to Mount Pleasant is in Awendaw at 6380 Maxville Road. The full-service Bees Ferry center is at 1344 Bees Ferry Road in West Ashley, and the county’s household hazardous waste goes there. The county lists hours for every site on its recycling page. Bring proof that you live in Charleston County.

Old prescription drugs can go in the take-back box at the Mount Pleasant Police Department, 100 Ann Edwards Lane.

What this means for you

• Look up your day once and put a reminder on your phone: garbage and trash weekly, recycling every other week.
• Buy brown paper yard bags before fall leaf season. Plastic bags of leaves stay at the curb.
• In Veterans Day and Thanksgiving weeks, check before you roll the cart out.

Related guides: Charleston County property taxes, who to call at Town Hall and moving to Mount Pleasant.

Frequently asked questions

What day is trash pickup in Mount Pleasant?

It depends on your neighborhood. The Town of Mount Pleasant collects garbage and trash once a week, Monday to Thursday, and lists every subdivision by day in its 2026 Waste Management Calendar. Have carts at the curb by 7 a.m.

How often is recycling picked up in Mount Pleasant?

Every other week. Charleston County, not the town, runs curbside recycling. Look up your color and week on the county’s curbside recycling map or call 843-720-7111.

Is there trash pickup on Veterans Day in Mount Pleasant?

No. The town lists Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, as a holiday with no garbage or trash collection, along with Thanksgiving, Nov. 26, and Christmas Day, Dec. 25.

How do I get rid of a couch or tree limbs in Mount Pleasant?

Put them at the curb on your regular garbage day. The town collects furniture, appliances and tree limbs cut to 4 feet or shorter and no more than 8 inches across, in separate piles from bagged yard debris.

Can I put yard waste in plastic bags in Mount Pleasant?

No. The town requires brown paper yard bags for grass clippings, leaves and other loose yard debris, because the landfill will not take yard debris in plastic bags.