Bowling Green, KY Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)

Bowling Green's residential solid waste system is structured under Chapter 20 of the City Code (Solid Waste Collection). Section 20-1.02 (County's Responsibility; Private Collectors Prohibited) restricts trash and yard-waste collection inside the corporate limits to the designated franchisee — currently Scott Waste Services, reached at (270) 783-4016. Private scavengers, pushcart operators, and unlicensed haulers may not engage in transporting or disposing of solid waste, residential recyclable material, or residential yard waste under Section 20-1.02; commercial roll-off and construction-debris haulers operate under separate commercial arrangements. Section 20-1.03 (Removal of Outside Yard Solid Waste; Location of Normal Deposits) regulates where carts and other waste containers may be placed and requires removal of outside yard waste. Recycling collection inside the city limits is similarly limited to the County's designated recycling Franchisee — single-family residents receive recycling as part of the franchise; apartment recycling is voluntary and arranged separately. Brush and limb collection is included for residential customers with limits: brush pieces must be no longer than 4 feet and weigh no more than 50 pounds (cut and bundled), stacked neatly beside the garbage cart, with a 3-cubic-yard-per-week cap. Loose-leaf pickup is run by City Public Works on a 10-zone schedule November through mid-December; commercial properties, private subdivisions, private roadways, alleys, and mobile-home parks are excluded. Holiday observances and weather delays are published through the Scott Waste WasteConnect mobile app. Report missed pickups and service issues to Scott Waste at (270) 783-4016; report illegal dumping to City Code Enforcement under Chapter 2-21.