Lexington, KY Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)

Section 16-6(a) makes roll cart use a duty, not an option: owners, proprietors, and occupants of every dwelling house, office, commercial unit, and industrial building in the urban county must place their garbage and trash in the regulation roll cart container the urban county government supplies. The only exceptions are properties with an approved medical exemption, units already on dumpster service, buildings where a roll cart isn't feasible, and units that contract for private collection. Section 16-10(a) sets the delivery side of that duty: residential garbage service is provided once each week on the same day of each succeeding week, recyclable materials and yard waste in approved containers are collected on that same weekly day, and trash too large for the roll cart but properly bundled under section 16-9 is picked up once a week as well.

No person may block access to a cart that has been set out for collection. When a scheduled collection day falls on an urban county government holiday, the commissioner of environmental quality shifts the pickup to a makeup day, and the commissioner also retains authority to adjust the schedule for emergencies or severe weather. Nonresidential establishments that don't qualify for or use dumpster service must follow the same roll cart rules as residential properties.