Published . 4 minute read.
Oconee County has no county curbside trash pickup, so most residents carry their own trash and recycling to one of 11 staffed recycling centers. Bigger loads of building debris, brush and old furniture go to the county’s construction and demolition (C&D) landfill on Wells Highway in Seneca. Here is what each place takes, when it’s open, and what to do with the things neither one accepts.
Where are Oconee County’s dump sites?
The “dump” most people mean is one of the county’s 11 staffed recycling centers. The state’s recycling directory lists them at these addresses:
| Center | Address |
|---|---|
| Strawberry Farm | 301 N. Strawberry Farm Rd, Seneca 29678 |
| Metromont | 250 U-Stor-It Dr, Seneca 29672 |
| Pinegrove | 298 Perry Woolbright Rd, Townville 29689 |
| Salem | 397 Stamp Creek Rd, Salem 29676 |
| Richland | 230 Richland Rd, Westminster 29693 |
| Mt. Rest | 107 Tunnel Town Rd, Mountain Rest 29664 |
| Toccoa | 4167 Toccoa Hwy, Westminster 29693 |
| Five Forks | 210 Camp Rd, Walhalla 29691 |
| Port Bass | 108 Rock Hill Rd, Fair Play 29643 |
| Ebenezer | 1089 Safety Harbour Rd, West Union 29696 |
| Long Creek | 186 Old Unity Rd, Westminster 29693 |
What are the recycling center hours?
Every center is open 7am to 7pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. All of them are closed on Wednesday and Sunday, which is easy to forget in the middle of a weekday cleanout.
If you’re planning a run near a holiday, call the county’s solid waste office at (864) 888-1440 to check the schedule first.
Who can use the centers?
Oconee County residents only. The county describes the centers as being for household trash and recyclables, so they aren’t meant for contractors’ loads or for people from neighboring counties.
What can you take to a center?
Bagged household trash, recyclables sorted into the posted bins, and the items South Carolina keeps out of the regular trash. The state directory lists these:
- Scrap metal
- Used motor oil, oil filters and antifreeze
- Lead-acid batteries (car, truck, boat and mower batteries)
- Large appliances
- Passenger tires, up to four per person per year
- Flat-screen TVs and computer monitors, placed in the donation boxes
- Mattresses, but only at Strawberry Farm
Old tube (CRT) TVs are not accepted at any center. Our guide to getting rid of an old TV covers the options.
The separate piles aren’t just county preference. State law bans whole tires from landfills, keeps lead-acid batteries and used oil out of household trash, and says large appliances can’t be mixed in with household garbage.
Where do mattresses go in Oconee?
Only the Strawberry Farm center at 301 N. Strawberry Farm Rd in Seneca takes mattresses. The other ten centers turn them away, so don’t haul a queen set all the way to Long Creek or Port Bass.
If the mattress is clean and you hoped to donate it, know that the Oconee Habitat ReStore doesn’t take mattresses or box springs either. Our furniture donation guide lists what local donation outlets accept.
Where does the household trash go?
Out of state. The county’s visitor site says household trash left at the centers is hauled to a landfill in Homer, Georgia. Oconee doesn’t bury household garbage in its own landfill.
What does the C&D landfill accept?
Building and yard debris, furniture and a few bulky items, but not household trash. Visit Oconee SC calls it the county’s only landfill and says it’s “filling up fast.”
The landfill accepts:
- Yard waste and land-clearing debris
- Construction and demolition debris
- Furniture
- Fiberglass boats, cut into 4-foot sections
- Pool liners
It refuses household trash, electronics and TVs, cardboard, metal, liquid paint and other liquids, friable asbestos, PCBs, and anything contaminated.
Search listings give the landfill’s address as 15031 Wells Hwy, and snippets of county fee schedules have shown construction debris at $35 a ton, with in-county commercial loads at $45 and out-of-county loads at $65. Fees change, so confirm current rates and hours with the solid waste office at (864) 888-1440 before you load the truck.
What about businesses and contractors?
Businesses can’t use the staffed centers. The county’s materials recovery facility (MRF) at 15028 Wells Hwy in Seneca serves commercial and industrial customers, Monday to Friday, 7am to 3:30pm, and a tire fee may apply there. Contractors’ building debris goes to the C&D landfill, where the fee excerpts show separate commercial rates.
What if you don’t live in Oconee?
Use your own county’s system. Clemson’s 29631 ZIP is in Pickens County, and Pendleton and Anderson are in Anderson County.
- Pickens County runs eight recycling centers, open Monday to Saturday, 7:30am to 7:20pm, plus a landfill in Liberty. The county requires a residency decal.
- Anderson County has 13 convenience centers, most open Monday to Saturday, 8am to 6pm, and a C&D landfill in Starr where residents can drop their own construction debris for free.
What has no drop-off in Oconee?
Tube TVs, paint and other liquids, household chemicals and asbestos have no everyday drop-off at the county’s facilities. The county has held periodic household hazardous waste collection days at Seneca High School for residents, and at least one of those events didn’t take paint. Call (864) 888-1440 to ask about the next one and what it will accept.
Can someone make the trip for you?
Yes. If you don’t have a truck, can’t get there before 7pm, or the pile is too big or too mixed for one center, Seneca Junk Removal can haul it. We load from wherever it sits, take metal and appliances to recycling and the rest to the proper county facility, and set aside furniture that’s still good for donation. Small jobs start at the $75–$95 minimum. See the full price list or get a ballpark from the junk removal estimator.
