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Horry County Solid Waste Authority Public Hearing

SCDES held a public hearing on April 2, 2026 to accept oral and written comments on the proposed expansion of the Horry County Solid Waste Management Facility. 

 Comments will be accepted through April 17, 2026 and can be submitted the following ways:
- Online through ePermitting
- Via email to Michele.Culbreath@des.sc.gov
- By mail to SCDES-BOW, Attn: Michele Culbreath, 2600 Bull Street, Columbia, SC 29201


Solid Waste Operations

The Horry County Solid Waste Authority (HCSWA) site includes a Class 2 Landfill, a Class 3 Landfill, a Class 2 Processing Facility, and a composting facility.

A Class 2 Landfill can accept construction and demolition debris landfill such as asphalt, concrete, lumber, cardboard, shingles, glass, and land-clearing debris. Class 2 Landfills are not required to have a liner system. 

A Class 3 Landfill can accept municipal solid waste, construction and demolition debris, non-hazardous industrial waste, sewage sludge, and other non-hazardous waste – although not all are accepted by HCSWA. A Class 3 Landfill cannot accept hazardous waste, infectious waste, or land-clearing debris for disposal. Class 3 Landfills are required to have a liner system. 

A Class 2 Processing Facility can accept the same waste as a Class 2 Landfill; however, the waste is sorted to determine what can be recycled and what must go to the landfill. The operation of this facility allows Horry County to divert roughly 12,000 tons of waste from its landfill each year – not including the carpet and concrete that is also diverted annually. 

A composting facility can accept land-clearing debris and other yard trimmings that are turned into compost. HCSWA also adds food waste into its composting piles.

Proposed Expansion

The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) received and public noticed Horry County Solid Waste Authority’s application to expand its existing landfill, which would impact 102.4 acres of jurisdictional freshwater wetlands, including 76.6 acres currently held in restrictive covenants. These wetlands are associated with Steritt Swamp. 

The proposed expansion is seeking Federal permits only at this time and will still need to apply for State permits. SCDES is in receipt of a USACE Joint Public Notice and Application for a proposed Federal permit pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. This proposed permit requires both a Bureau of Water (BOW) 401 Water Quality Certification and a Bureau of Coastal Management (BCM) Coastal Zone Consistency (CZC) certification.

SCDES must issue 401 Water Quality and CZC Certification decisions for all projects that will result in a discharge into waters of the State and require a federal permit. 401 Water Quality and CZC Certification conditions would become part of any USACE permit. During the initial public notice period, a request was made for a public hearing. Additional comments were received by SCDES from state agencies, local government, interested parties and citizens. Additional comments can be shared during the public hearing, via email and online through April 17, 2026. 

Documents related to the project can be found below:

The 401 Water Quality Certification and CZC Certification are just the first steps in considering any future expansion at the Horry County SWA site. If these certifications are approved, HCSWA may move forward with applying for a Class 2 and/or Class 3 Landfill expansion. The landfill permitting process takes place in two phases and includes multiple opportunities for community input, ensuring the public can stay informed and share feedback at every stage of the process.