Lexington, KY Trash & Recycling: Holiday Pickup Schedule (2026)
Key Facts
- Thanksgiving 2026
- No collection Thursday, Nov. 26, 2026; makeup Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2026
- Day after Thanksgiving
- No collection Friday, Nov. 27, 2026; makeup Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2026
- Christmas Eve and Day
- Makeup Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2026, for both Dec. 24 and Dec. 25
- New Year's Day 2027
- No collection Friday, Jan. 1, 2027; makeup Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2026
- Veterans Day 2026
- No collection Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026; no makeup day required
- Who it covers
- Residents and businesses with city waste collection
- Waste Management phone
- (859) 425-2255, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Summary
Lexington makes up its late-2026 holiday collections early, not late. Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2026, and the Friday after are both made up on Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2026. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are made up on Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2026, and New Year's Day 2027 on Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2026. Veterans Day has no collection and no makeup day.
In all areas of residential urban county government collection, garbage service will be provided once each week on the same day of each succeeding week. Collection of recyclable materials and yard waste in approved yard waste containers will be provided once each week on the same day as garbage service. Trash that will not fit in the roll cart container and that is properly prepared pursuant to this article will be collected once per week. When a scheduled refuse collection day falls on an urban county government holiday, refuse will be collected on a makeup collection day. The commissioner of environmental quality retains the right to adjust schedules in response to emergencies or severe weather. ... Garbage and trash collection shall be made during an a.m. cycle between 2:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. and a p.m. cycle between 2:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., including Saturdays and holidays, except Christmas, New Year's, Fourth of July and Thanksgiving within the following area: ... The aforementioned area shall be known as the downtown collection area.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Republication | Zoning Ordinance: Republication).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 16-10 of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Code sets the base rule: when a scheduled refuse collection day falls on an urban county government holiday, refuse will be collected on a makeup collection day. Sec. 16-10 names no holidays and prints no makeup dates, so the dates come from the city's own table, headed "2026 Holiday Collection Schedule" with the columns Holiday, No Collection and Makeup Date.
For the rest of 2026 the table reads as follows. Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026: no collection and "No makeup day required." Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2026, and the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, Nov. 27, 2026: no collection, with the same makeup date for both, Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2026. Christmas Eve, Thursday, Dec. 24, 2026, and Christmas Day, Friday, Dec. 25, 2026: no collection, with the same makeup date for both, Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2026. New Year's Day, Friday, Jan. 1, 2027: no collection, makeup Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2026. The table prints no entry for New Year's Eve, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2026, and no other 2027 dates.
The page's footnote reads "* Please note: The makeup day precedes the holiday!" and marks the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's rows, along with Juneteenth and Independence Day. The Monday holidays run the other way: Martin Luther King Day, President's Day, Memorial Day and Labor Day each carry a Wednesday makeup date after the holiday.
The schedule speaks to residents and businesses with city waste collection. The collection-day lookup adds: "*This day is only for residents who receive city waste collection." Sec. 16-10 puts recycling and yard waste on the same day as garbage service each week. Carts go out no earlier than 4 p.m. the day before collection and no later than 5 a.m. on collection day, and come in by 7 p.m. that day.
Downtown follows its own rule. Sec. 16-13 schedules the downtown collection area in an a.m. cycle between 2:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. and a p.m. cycle between 2:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., including Saturdays and holidays, except Christmas, New Year's, Fourth of July and Thanksgiving. The code says that collection applies to retail stores, hotels, restaurants, office buildings and houses in the center of town. The 2026 table names no downtown exception.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 16-10 backs its curb-timing and storage paragraph with notices. When a violation of subsection (b) has occurred, the director of the division of waste management or a designee affixes a notice of violation to the front door of the residence or structure, to the roll cart container or another conspicuous place. A civil fine under article XII can be assessed if the violation continues or two (2) or more notices of violation have previously been issued to the same owner on the same property within a twelve-month period.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is trash picked up on Thanksgiving in Lexington, KY?
When is the Christmas and New Year's makeup day in Lexington?
Is there a makeup day for Veterans Day in Lexington?
How do holidays change dumpster service in Lexington?
What do I do if my cart is missed in a holiday week?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lexington
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