Lawrence, KS Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)

Lawrence City Code § 9-403 requires every single-family and multiple-family dwelling unit not served by a trash dumpster to use a city-issued roll-out trash cart for garbage, refuse, and yard waste. The cart remains city property, and the city is responsible for its maintenance and repair, but carts come in three sizes: 35, 65, and 95 gallons, with the 65-gallon cart standard citywide. Households must select the size and number of carts adequate for what they generate between collections, and the monthly solid waste fee scales with cart size under § 9-412.

Owners and occupants handle the routine cleaning and day-to-day care of their carts; if a cart needs repair or replacement because of abuse, misuse, or neglect, the director of the municipal services and operations department sets and bills a repair fee. Section 9-405 caps any manually collected container or loose item at 65 pounds and bars anything too bulky for one person to lift into the truck. Section 9-404 allows a household to exceed cart capacity with an overflow set-out twice in a calendar year; a third overflow in the same year triggers an automatic upsize to a larger or additional cart, with the fee adjusted accordingly. Certain materials, including hot ashes, radioactive material, acids, and explosives, are never collected regardless of container under § 9-410.