Bowling Green, KY Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)

Sec. 20-1.03.a of the Bowling Green Code of Ordinances assigns yard waste pickup to the Bowling Green Residential Franchisee, as approved by Warren County, who is responsible for collecting, removing and disposing of residential yard waste from each residential unit once the resident has separated it from the regular waste stream and placed it at the curb in suitable containers as set out in Warren County's regulations. The Section adds a size limit specific to woody debris: brush and tree limbs must be cut to lengths no longer than five feet and no more than six inches in diameter, then bundled by the resident before being placed at the curb for collection; oversized or unbundled brush does not qualify for the Franchisee's routine pickup.

"Residential Yard Waste" itself is defined at Sec. 20-1.01 as leaves, brush, grass clippings, shrub and tree pruning and other vegetative matter from residential landscape maintenance that is suitable for composting and that the resident has diverted or separated from the solid waste stream and placed at the curb. Because Sec. 20-1.02.a reserves solid waste and yard waste collection to Warren County's designated Franchisee and bars private scavengers or pushcart operators under Sec. 20-1.02.c, a homeowner cannot hire an unlicensed contractor to haul bundled brush to the curb for franchisee pickup; any Chapter violation, including oversized or improperly bundled brush left for collection, is punishable under Sec. 20-1.05 by a fine up to the maximum authorized by law, with each additional day a separate offense.