Reduce Contamination.
Recycle Right SC.
Participate in South Carolina’s statewide anti-contamination campaign ─ a partnership between SC DHEC and PalmettoPride.

Let’s Recycle Right

“Wishful recycling” happens when you put items in the recycling bin that you hope will be recycled or you think should be recycled. This leads to contamination in the bin.

Contamination in recycling occurs when wrong items are placed in the recycling bin (ex. garden hose) OR items that are recyclable are prepared incorrectly (ex. food left in containers).

It’s important to know what is accepted in your area. Visit scdhec.gov/recycleheresc to know where and what to recycle. A interaction map is also available to use.
South Carolina Recycling
By the Numbers for Fiscal Year 2019
28.2%
state recycling rate
482,002
tons of residential recycling
35.8%
residential percentage of all recycled material
122
recycling programs
Source: “Solid Waste Management Annual Report” at www.scdhec.gov/datareports. The fiscal year is from July 1 to June 30 of the next year.
