Oldham County, KY Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)

Chapter 50 treats recycling as an encouraged, not a required, activity. Section 50.030 defines recycling broadly as any process that collects, separates or processes materials that would otherwise become solid waste and returns them to use as raw materials or products, including refuse-derived fuel processed under Cabinet regulations, but the definition specifically excludes incineration or combustion for energy recovery. The same section states plainly that recycling is voluntary and encouraged by the governing body, not compelled. Access to the service is tied to the same franchise system that governs trash collection: § 50.032 provides that curbside and commercial recycling is only available through the franchise contractor established under §§ 50.040 et seq., meaning a resident cannot simply hire an outside recycler for curbside service and expect it treated as compliant county recycling, and cities or HOAs without a recycling line in their franchise agreement may not have curbside recycling offered at all.

The Fiscal Court approves the fees the franchise contractor charges for these services under § 50.044, though cities and HOAs may set fees unique to their own agreement. Residents who want to recycle materials the franchise curbside program does not accept can instead use the county's dedicated Recycling Center, a separate facility described in § 50.031.