Lexington Trash Pickup Schedule, Recycling & Bulk 2026

⏰ Set-Out Rules — All Three Carts

• Set carts at the curb no earlier than 4:00 p.m. the day before collection and no later than 5:00 a.m. on collection day.
• Remove carts from curb by 7:00 p.m. on your collection day.
• At least 3 feet between each cart and from other objects (parked cars, mailboxes, fire hydrants, trees, cable wires).
• Handles face toward the house; opening faces the street.
• Do not overload the green trash cart — 200-pound limit; overloaded carts will not be picked up.
• All trash in the green cart must be bagged; never loose.
• Recyclables in the blue cart must be loose, never bagged.
• Disability/medical exemptions: If you cannot roll your cart to the curb, call LexCall at 311 to request a medical exemption or the Cart Rollback Program.

📦 Extra Cardboard at the Curb

When you have more cardboard than fits in the blue cart, place excess cardboard at the curb near your carts. Boxes must be empty, flattened, and tied or bundled. Do not set cardboard out on rainy days — recyclables must be dry. Extra cardboard is collected on your regular recycling day.

🚩 Recycling Drop-Off Locations (24/7)

If you don’t have city collection service or have overflow recyclables, use these 24-hour drop-off locations. Items accepted: aluminum/tin cans, plastic bottles and jugs, glass bottles and jars, dry cardboard, office paper, newspaper, magazines, catalogs. Materials must be loose, never bagged.

• Electronic Recycling Center — 1306 Versailles Rd • 24 hours/7 days (recycling bins outside)
• Beaumont Middle School — 2080 Georgian Way • 24 hours/7 days
• Chinoe Creek Apartments — 3522 Creekwood Dr • 24 hours/7 days
• Veterans Park — 650 Southpoint Dr • 24 hours/7 days
• Haley Pike Convenience Center — 4253 Hedger Ln • Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri: 8 a.m.–5:30 p.m.

📅 How to Schedule Bulky Pickup

1. Call LexCall at 311 or (859) 425-2255, submit online at lexingtonky.gov, or use the LexCall mobile app. Have a description of items ready.
2. Place items at the curbside on your regular collection day, flat on the ground, not blocked by vehicles, fire hydrants, trees, or cable wires.
3. Items like mattresses and box springs: place flat on the ground beside carts. If bug infestation, call 311 for special instructions.
4. Sofas, appliances, and tires require scheduling. Appliances containing Freon accepted; appliances with oil are not.
5. Tires: up to four per week, must be off the rims, schedule via LexCall.
6. Consider donating items in good condition to Habitat for Humanity ReStore, Salvation Army, Kentucky Refugee Ministries, or Goodwill.

🚚 Loan-a-Box Program

Lexington residents and nonprofits needing to dispose of large amounts of landfill-bound waste can use the Loan-a-Box program — a city-supplied 10-cubic-yard container for debris removal. Contact LexCall at 311 or (859) 425-2255 for details and scheduling.

💡 Medications — Safe Disposal

Dispose of old prescription and OTC medications safely at the Lexington Police Department’s main office or the Fayette County Sheriff’s office, both of which maintain medication drop-off containers. Lexington Police also occasionally holds Med Toss events. Never flush medications or put them in the trash.

🚚 Free Trash Disposal Day Details

• Location: Bluegrass Regional Transfer Station, 1549 Old Frankfort Pike, Lexington, KY
• Accepted free: mattresses, box springs, bagged household waste, small indoor furniture (tables, chairs), up to four tires off the rim
• Accepted at a cost: outdoor furniture, grills, appliances, electronics, tire rims, more than 4 tires, yard waste, construction/demolition debris, building materials, outdoor sheds, water hoses
• All loads subject to inspection. Acceptance at no cost is at the discretion of Transfer Station employees.
• Check lexingtonky.gov/trashday for the current 2026 schedule of remaining events.

🏭 Paper Shred Events

Lexington hosts periodic Paper Shred events for residents to safely dispose of sensitive paper documents. Shredded paper is not accepted in recycling carts or drop-off bins; hold it for these events or place in the green trash cart. Check lexingtonky.gov/paper-shred for 2026 event dates.

🌿 Free Mulch Giveaway

Lexington periodically offers free mulch giveaway events for residents. A 2026 event was held April 18 at 1631 Old Frankfort Pike. Watch lexingtonky.gov/waste-management for announcements of future giveaway dates.

🏠 New to Lexington or Just Moved In?

Use LexFind at lexingtonky.gov/living/waste-collection to find your collection day. Text your day (MONDAY, TUESDAY, THURSDAY, or FRIDAY) to 888777 for automatic alerts. Your green, blue, and gray carts should already be at your address — if missing, call LexCall at 311. Glass bottles and jars are accepted in Lexington’s blue cart. Recycling is weekly here, not every other week.

📅 The Wednesday Makeup System

When a holiday falls on Monday, the City services your street on the following Wednesday. When it falls on Thursday or Friday, they often service you on the preceding Wednesday. The makeup is always on a Wednesday and may come before your normal collection day. This is why text alerts are so important in Lexington — they give you advance notice of each adjustment automatically.

🚫 5 Common Mistakes Lexington Residents Make

• Thinking recycling is every other week — Lexington collects recycling every week
• Putting plastic yogurt cups, Styrofoam, or clamshells in the blue cart — only plastic #1 and #2 bottles/jugs/jars
• Waiting for makeup collection after a Thursday/Friday holiday — the makeup day often came before the holiday
• Not bagging trash in the green cart — all material in the green cart must be bagged
• Leaving carts out overnight — carts must be removed by 7:00 p.m. on collection day

🌿 Composting in Lexington

The City does not offer a curbside food waste composting program. However, the yard waste gray cart accepts many organic garden materials. Residents interested in composting can start a home compost pile with plant-based food scraps, coffee grounds, banana peels, apple cores, leaves, and grass clippings. The City’s Live Green Lexington program provides composting information at lexingtonky.gov/yardwaste.