Fourth graders have been "Talkin' Trash" for eight years in Horry County. This countywide contest encourages fourth grade students to recycle at school and in their community.

How the Contest Works:

Each month a different recyclable is collected by the students at school. The school that recycles the most items that month wins. The contest is open to any public school in Horry County with fourth grade classes. Each participating school receives a special container (an 8-yard dumpster) to collect their recyclables. Each school is judged based on the number of pounds collected per fourth grade student per month. There are three categories of schools based on the number of fourth grade students at each of the schools.

Monthly School Winners and Prizes:

Every month, the winning school from each of the three categories will receive a plaque, a monthly prize for their school and a visit from the Talkin' Trash crew! The students will also get a chance to appear on television.

Grand Prize School Winners and Prizes:

The top three schools that demonstrate the most recycling during the course of the Talkin' Trash contest will be deemed the Grand Prize winners and the fourth graders from those schools will go on a fun-filled educational field trip to Ripley's Aquarium. Lunch and transportation will be provided.

Watch the Talkin' Trash monthly winners at:

Talkin' Trash Contest Rules and Responsibilities:

Your School's Responsibilities:


1. We agree to routinely check our container and will remove any contamination promptly.
2. We agree to abide by the Collection Schedule as shown in the Talkin' Trash flyer.
3. We agree to promptly notify the SWA if we will need an additional service call (empty) before the end of the Collection Schedule.
4. We understand if our container is contaminated more than once, during the course of a month, our school may be eliminated from the competition for that month.
5. We understand that if our container is contaminated on more than one occasion during the year our school may be eliminated for the remainder of the year's competition.
6. We understand that if our container is contaminated we may be responsible for having it emptied by the Horry County School District.
7. We understand that the monthly winner is based on the total amount of material recycled per student.
8. We understand that SWA staff will utilize estimated weights and volumes when determining monthly winners.

Horry County Solid Waste Authority Responsibilities:


1. We agree to do our best to supply additional service to the Talkin' Trash container, if requested at least one week before the end of the Collection Schedule for that month.
2. We agree to accurately and fairly judge.
3. We agree to routinely monitor your container and notify you immediately of any contamination.
4. We agree to give you 48 hours to remove the contamination before eliminating your school from that month's competition. If your school removes the contamination, within the 48 hour time frame, we agree not to eliminate your school from the competition.