LexingtonKY.com

What Can I Recycle in Lexington? The Blue Cart Guide

The city's own recycling FAQ tells you to press Ctrl+F. Here is a real search box instead, built from the city's accepted list, item by item.

Facts checked against the city's About Recycling page on September 23, 2026.

Quick answer

  1. Loose, dry, clean. Never put recycling in a plastic bag.
  2. Every week, on the same day as your trash and yard waste. Not every other week.
  3. The recycle symbol does not mean yes. When in doubt, throw it out, or ask.

YesGlass is fine here, colored and clear.

Not yetYogurt cups and tubs still go in the trash.

Can I recycle this?

Type the thing in your hand. 91 items, each checked against a city page.

Try: , , , ,

Yes: what goes in the blue cart

The city says these are the only items that belong in the blue cart. Grouped the way the city groups them.

Aluminum cans

Soda can, Beer can

Steel cans, lids and canisters

Canned food can, Metal lid from a glass jar, Coffee, tea or cookie canister

Labels are OK. Jar lids go in loose, not screwed on.

Plastic bottles, jugs and jars (#1 and #2 plastic, screw top, caps on)

Plastic water bottle, Plastic soda bottle, Milk jug, Liquid laundry detergent jug, Shampoo or conditioner bottle, Peanut butter jar, Bottle caps (on the bottle)

Screw the cap back on. Caps get recycled when attached; loose caps fall through the machinery.

Dry cardboard with packing material removed

Shipping box, Moving box, Pizza box

Pizza boxes: throw away the parts with food residue or grease.

Box board

Cereal box, Shoe box, Gift box, Toilet paper or paper towel roll, Wrapping paper roll, Soda or beer box, Tissue box, Frozen food box, Paper egg carton, Paper takeout container

Paper takeout containers only if clean. Plastic takeout containers are not accepted.

Paper

Office paper, Magazines, Catalogs, Envelopes, Newspaper, Packing paper

Cartons

Milk carton, Juice carton, Broth or soup carton, Wine box

Wine boxes with the bladder removed.

Brown paper

Paper grocery bag, Craft paper

Glass bottles and jars, colored and clear

Glass bottles and jars, Beer bottle, Wine bottle, Glass soda bottle, Pasta sauce jar, Salsa jar

Also yes, from the city Recycling FAQ

  • Aerosol can (empty): Completely empty aerosol cans only. Spray paint and WD-40 cans are the exception; see that entry.
  • Vitamin or aspirin bottle: Non-prescription medicine bottles and their caps go in. Prescription bottles do not.
  • Carton caps: Put the cap back on the empty, rinsed carton. A loose cap cannot be recycled.
  • Junk mail: Paper mail goes in the blue cart.
  • Paperback books: Paperback books and phone books can be recycled. Hardcovers cannot.
  • Paper with staples: Staples are OK. Remove binders, binder clips and spiral binding.

The Lexington Recycle Center also processes recycling for Georgetown, Nicholasville, Versailles, Winchester, Frankfort, Danville, Berea and other Central Kentucky communities. Some of those communities don't accept glass, so a rule that's true in Lexington may not be true one county over.

No: common mistakes, and where they go instead

These can damage the equipment at the Recycle Center or put workers at risk.

Shredded paper

Special

Hold it for a city Paper Shred event, or put it in the green cart.

Electronics: batteries, TVs, computers, phones, string lights

Drop-off only

Electronic Recycling Center, 1306 Versailles Road. Free for Fayette County residents.

Plastic bags, wrap, film, and shipping air pockets

Drop-off only

Kroger and Meijer have plastic bag recycling bins.

Compressed gas canisters

Drop-off only

Save empties for a Household Hazardous Waste event.

Clothing and other cloth items

Drop-off only

Donate them.

Chains

Trash

Green cart, or take metal to Midwest Metals Corp.

Medical waste

Special

Sharps sealed in a hard container, and bagged tubing, go in the green cart. Never recycling.

Plastic spinach and lettuce boxes

Trash

Green cart.

Hoses and bungee cords

Trash

Green cart.

Pyrex, plate glass, window and door glass

Trash

Green cart. Break window and door glass into a sealed container first.

Ceramics

Trash

Green cart.

Styrofoam containers, clamshell packaging and disposable cups (hot or cold)

Trash

Green cart.

Aluminum foil, pie tins and baking tins

Trash

Green cart. Cans are the only aluminum the city takes.

K-Cup type pods

Trash

Green cart.

Plastic yogurt cups, sour cream containers and similar tubs

Trash

Green cart, for now. See the 2026 note below.

Wrapping paper and tissue paper

Trash

Green cart.

More answers from the city FAQ and disposal pages

  • ReceiptsTrash

    No. The slick chemical coating means receipts cannot be recycled.

  • Hardcover booksTrash

    Not in the blue cart. Donate it if it is still usable; otherwise throw it away.

  • Prescription pill bottleTrash

    Not accepted in the blue cart or the drop-off bins.

  • Binders and spiral bindingTrash

    Take binders, binder clips and spiral binding off before the paper goes in.

  • Styrofoam or plastic egg cartonTrash

    Trash. Only paper egg cartons go in the blue cart.

  • Waxy-coated paperboardTrash

    If the coating scratches off with a fingernail, it goes in the trash.

  • WD-40 or spray paint canSpecial

    The city's pages disagree: the Recycling FAQ says no, the hazardous waste page says empty spray paint cans can go in blue. Email LiveGreen@lexingtonky.gov before it goes in your cart.

  • Latex paintDrop-off only

    Usable latex paint: donate to Habitat for Humanity ReStore, 451 Southland Dr. Lead paint goes to a Household Hazardous Waste event.

  • Car batteryDrop-off only

    Not the green cart, and not the Electronic Recycling Center. Interstate Battery, 1251A Georgetown Rd., recycles them free, or hold it for a Household Hazardous Waste event.

Set-out rules

  • Blue cart to the curb no earlier than 4 p.m. the day before collection, and no later than 5 a.m. on collection day.
  • Back off the curb by 7 p.m. on collection day.
  • Leave at least three feet between each cart and other objects.
  • Extra cardboard goes at the curb near your carts: empty, flattened, and tied or bundled. Don't set cardboard out on rainy days; it has to stay dry to be recycled.

Coming in 2026: yogurt tubs

Not yet. Keep them in the green cart until the city's list changes.

  • October 2023: the city announced a $1.8 million EPA grant to buy an optical sorter, a robotic arm, conveyors and a compressor, so the Recycle Center can take polypropylene (#5): yogurt cups, butter tubs and similar. The city said the upgrade would not be complete until sometime in 2026.
  • December 2024: the Recycle Center told WKYT the polypropylene sorter is its 2026 project.
  • As of September 23, 2026: the city's official accepted list still says plastic yogurt cups, sour cream containers and similar tubs go in the trash.

When the city's list changes, this page changes the same day.

No city pickup? Drop-off bins

Fayette County residents without city waste collection can use the blue mixed recycling drop-off bins. Material goes in loose, not bagged.

Accepted in the bins: aluminum and tin cans, plastic bottles and jugs, glass bottles and jars, dry cardboard, office paper, paper mail, newspaper, magazines and catalogs. No shredded paper.

The city also keeps a drop-off locator map that routes you to the nearest bin.

Where the other stuff goes

  • Electronics and batteries: the Electronic Recycling Center, 1306 Versailles Road, free for Fayette County residents. Open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to noon.
  • Plastic bags, wrap and film: Kroger and Meijer have plastic bag recycling bins.
  • Usable latex paint: donate it to Habitat for Humanity ReStore, 451 Southland Dr.
  • Shredded paper and sensitive documents: the city's free Paper Shred events, normally once in the spring and once in the fall.
  • Propane and helium bottles, lead paint, chemicals: the city's Household Hazardous Waste events, free for Fayette County residents.
  • Big loads of household trash: Free Trash Disposal Days, four a year in January, April, July and October, at the Bluegrass Regional Transfer Station. Electronics and appliances are not free there.
  • Window glass, needles and other trash rules: the city's About Trash page.

Extra cart, missed pickup, or questions

City service includes one blue cart per home and two per business. An additional cart is a one-time $60 container fee plus $3.60 sales tax, with no added monthly fee. Request one through LexCall at 311 or (859) 425-2255, or online.

For a missed pickup or a replacement cart, call 311 or make a service request online.

Waste Management is at 675 Byrd Thurman Dr., open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., (859) 425-2255, wastemanagement@lexingtonky.gov. Recycling questions go to LiveGreen@lexingtonky.gov.

Frequently asked questions

Is glass recyclable in Lexington?

Yes. Glass bottles and jars, colored and clear, go loose in the blue cart with the rest of your recycling. There is no separate glass bin anymore. Pyrex, plate glass, and window or door glass are not accepted; those go in the green trash cart. Some nearby communities that send recycling to the Lexington Recycle Center do not take glass, so the answer can be different one county over.

Do I need to rinse recycling in Lexington?

Items need to be clean and dry, meaning the food residue is gone. The city says a rinse and a dry is ideal, but you don't need to run anything through the dishwasher. Labels can stay on bottles, jugs, jars and cans.

Can I recycle pizza boxes in Lexington?

Yes, if they are free of food and grease. Carry-out, delivery and frozen pizza boxes all count. Tear off and throw away any part with grease or cheese on it, and put the clean part in the blue cart.

Can I recycle yogurt cups and butter tubs in Lexington?

Not yet. Keep them in the green cart until the city's list changes. In 2023 the city got a $1.8 million EPA grant for sorting equipment so the Recycle Center can take #5 polypropylene tubs, and said the upgrade would be done sometime in 2026. As of September 23, 2026, the city's accepted list still says yogurt cups and sour cream containers go in the trash.

Is recycling picked up every week in Lexington?

Yes. With city waste service, the blue cart is collected every week on the same day as your trash and yard waste. Plenty of cities pick up recycling every other week; Lexington does not.

Do caps stay on bottles for recycling in Lexington?

Yes. Screw the cap back on the empty plastic bottle or jug, and on cartons too. Attached caps get recycled; loose caps fall through the machinery and end up in the trash. The one exception is the metal lid from a glass jar, which goes in the cart loose, not screwed back on the jar.

Can I put my recycling in a plastic bag?

No, never. If workers cannot see what is inside a bag, they have to treat it as contamination. Recycling goes in the blue cart loose. Plastic bags themselves are not accepted in the blue cart either; Kroger and Meijer have plastic bag recycling bins.

Does the recycle symbol mean Lexington takes it?

No. The city says plainly that a recycle symbol is not a good indicator of whether something can be recycled locally. The blue cart takes only the items on the city's accepted list. The city's rule for everything else: when in doubt, throw it out, or ask by emailing LiveGreen@lexingtonky.gov.

Find your collection day

Recycling goes out on the same day as your trash. Enter your street address to see it.

The Lexington trash pickup page has the collection day map and the 2026 holiday schedule.

Related Lexington resources

About this page

Verified on September 23, 2026 against the city's About Recycling and Recycling FAQ pages, plus the city pages linked above for electronics, hazardous waste, paper shred, trash and free disposal days. Every item in the search box names the city page it came from.

One thing the city's own pages disagree on: the Recycling FAQ says spray paint and WD-40 cans are not recyclable, while the hazardous waste page says empty spray paint cans can go in the blue cart. This page reports both rather than picking one.