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About the Solid Waste Division
The Solid Waste Division is operated as a business enterprise with the service paid by the fees collected from residents and businesses. The Division collects an average of 26,000 tons of garbage each year serving nearly 9850 residential accounts and 2000 commercial accounts.
McCracken County Solid Waste Management Plan 2023-2027
Visit Recycling for more information about the voluntary, curbside recycling program for residential customers and the free drop-point location for recyclables. Cardboard recycling is available for commercial customers.
The City of Paducah has a Compost Facility at 1560 North 8th Street. Visit Compost Facility for hours of operation, what is accepted, and compost sales.
Summary of Garbage Collection, Yard Waste, and Compost Facility Guidelines
Garbage Collection (Residential)
- Collection Fees
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Residential Fees
The charge for Residential Solid Waste Collection effective July 1, 2024, is $21.00 per month for one rollout. This charge includes yard waste collection and the weekly collection of your garbage container. If more than one rollout container is needed, an additional fee will be charged. The monthly recycling fee is $1.50 for one recycling container. Fees are included on your monthly water bill.
Fee Adjustments - In January 2024, the City approved new solid waste collection fees for residential and commercial customers effective July 1, 2024. The City's Solid Waste Fund is an enterprise fund which means it operates as a business. In short, the fees collected should cover the expenses. Fees were last increased for residential customers in 2009 and for commercial customers in 2017. The fee increases approved in 2024 will be phased in over two years with the first fee increase effective July 1, 2024. In July 2025, the residential fee will be $26.50 per month with recycling included in that fee. Future fee adjustments would be based on the Consumer Price Index.
- Collection Times
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City Solid Waste crews work from 4 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. for residential and commercial rollout container collection. Since crews start their collection routes early in the morning, citizens are recommended to place trash containers at their designated collection point the prior evening.
- Collection Day
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Residential refuse collection is done Tuesday through Friday with Monday set aside for the collection of recyclables. There is no residential garbage collection on Sunday. We can also determine if you will need a roll-out container or if one already exists on the property. All waste must be contained in the City of Paducah issued container.
To find out your scheduled collection day, call Public Works at 270-444-8511 or use the interactive map to to determine the solid waste collection day for Paducah addresses.
- Collection Limitations and Guidelines for Side-Arm Residential Collection Truck
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Here are the guidelines for placing your solid waste container (rollout):
CITY ISSUED CONTAINERS - Only City of Paducah issued containers will be serviced. All City issued containers shall remain the property of the City of Paducah. If a dwelling is vacated, the outgoing resident should notify the Public Works Department at 270-444-8511 making the City aware of the vacancy. The container must not be painted, abused, mutilated, altered or modified in any manner. If the container is lost or damaged beyond repair by the resident, the resident may be held responsible for the replacement cost of the container. Report lost or stolen containers immediately to the Public Works Department at 270-444-8511 so that it may be replaced. To clean, use water and household detergent. It is the responsibility of the customer to keep the container clean.
OVERFILLED CONTAINERS - Containers may be filled with the lid partially open. Excessive overfilling of the container MAY cause interruption of service. Containers that are properly filled prevent spillage of garbage on our streets during the collection process. Properly filled containers provide quality services to our customers and allow us to be good custodial stewards to our community and environment.
UNACCEPTABLE CONTAINER CONTENTS - Containers having hazardous wastes and materials including but not limited to paint, gasoline, solvents, oil, batteries, tires, bricks, blocks, building or construction material, etc. or any other items not normally found in household garbage SHALL cause interruption to service.
ANY ITEM OUTSIDE CONTAINER - Excess solid waste placed outside containers will NOT be collected on the day of service UNLESS the customer has arranged for a special pickup which MAY require an additional fee.
VIOLATIONS - If you are denied service due to a violation of one or more of the above rules, once the problem has been corrected, “Call Back” service may be provided before the next scheduled service date for an additional fee.
CONTAINER PLACEMENT - The City issued containers are to be placed for service pickup no later than 4 a.m. on the designated collection day. If the City issued containers ARE NOT placed before 4 a.m. our drivers will assume that no service is needed for this location. The City issued container should be removed from the City’s public right-of-way on the same day of service. The container should be placed within two feet of the roadside edge with the handles placed facing away from the street/alley. This required placement will provide better service to our customers and allow longer life for the container. The Side-Arm truck cannot service containers IF stationary objects are within four feet of the container. Examples of stationary objects include but are not limited to cars, mailboxes, utility poles, trees, shrubs, fences, etc. OBSTRUCTED CONTAINERS WILL NOT be serviced as our drivers have been instructed NOT to service containers that are obstructed to prevent damage to private and/or personal property.
- Holiday Garbage Collection Schedule
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On the days before and after holidays, crews often double up their collection routes and start their shifts earlier than normal. If your trash collection schedule is affected by the holidays, it is recommended that trash containers are placed in their designated collection point the previous night.
- Service Assistance Request for Refuse Collection
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The City of Paducah has a program to assist people needing help with the trash rollout container. To qualify for the program applicants must be permanently or temporarily physically disabled to the extent that they cannot transport their trash to the curb for collection. A statement from a licensed physician is necessary. Also, the applicant must signify that there is no one residing in the residence over the age of twelve (12) years who is able to transport the trash container from the residence to the designated collection place.
Service Assistance - Refuse Collection Request Letter and Form
- Special Collection Services - Pay Piles
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Garbage and no longer needed items such as furniture that won’t fit in your city-issued rollout are called pay piles. The Solid Waste Division will collect and dispose of the items; however, there is a minimum fee of $25 which is added to your water bill. The fee depends upon the size of the pile and how much of the knuckleboom truck it fills. Pay piles are collected on Thursdays and Fridays using a knuckleboom truck.
Pay Pile Process: Place the pay pile items adjacent to the street (not in the alleys). Contact the Public Works Department at 270-444-8511 to inform the staff that you have a pay pile. A Public Works Supervisor reviews the pay pile and assigns a fee to it. The Supervisor calls the person listed on the water bill to explain the fee. Note: Since the fee is added to the water bill, the person named on the water bill must the one who contacts the Public Works Department.
Yard Waste, Brush, and Limb Collection
The City of Paducah provides yard waste collection to residents as a part of their monthly service charge for solid waste collection. If you have a couple of bags of yard waste or a few twigs and limbs, it is acceptable to place those items in your garbage rollout for collection. Small amounts of yard debris can be placed in garbage rollouts.
To make the collection of brush as efficient as possible and to prevent the blocking of storm drainage systems, place brush and yard debris near the edge of the road and not in the alleys. Try to avoid placing larger piles of debris under utility lines or near objects such as parked cars or fire hydrants.
- If you live on a street with curbs and gutter, place the brush and yard waste on the back side of the curb off of the sidewalk.
- If you live on a street without curbs and gutters, place the brush and yard waste where it can be reached but not in the drainage ditch.
Brush should be no longer than 48 inches in length. Leaves and grass clippings should be bagged, not to exceed 50 pounds per bag. All yard waste shall be placed adjacent to the street (not in the alleys). Large tree limbs, stumps, and trunks are special collections, and there could be a minimal charge.
Paducah residents are encouraged to take brush and yard waste to the Compost Facility located at 1560 North 8th Street at no charge.
Note: Yard waste generated/left by a private contractor will not be collected by City crews. Homeowners and/or the contractor must dispose of these materials.
How to Request a Collection of Brush, Limbs, or Bags of Leaves/Yard Waste Call the Public Works Department at 270-444-8511 or use the Paducah 311 online portal. To request a collection through Paducah 311, click the button link, click "Create a new Request," and select "Brush Pickup (Yard Waste)" as the request type. Collections can be requested through the app, too! Learn more about Paducah 311.
Paducah 311 - Brush Pickup (Yard Waste)
Commercial Collection
Commercial collection is provided by the City of Paducah at various charges depending on the size of dumpster needed and the frequency of pick-ups. Contact the Public Works Department at 270-444-8511 for costs, collection information, and regulations for the dumpster pad.
Spring Clean Up Day - 2024
Spring Clean Up Day is the FREE day for Paducah and McCracken County residents to get rid of household garbage and hazardous waste, old tires, appliances, e-scrap, and more. Spring Clean Up Day will be Saturday, April 13, 2024, rain or shine, from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Republic Services transfer station, 829 Burnett Street. All Paducah and McCracken County residents must bring proper identification (such as a driver’s license) to verify residency.
Accepted items include
- Household trash
- Major appliances (tagged Freon-free)
- Tires (limit of 8 tires; no heavy equipment, solid, rubber track, or foam-filled tires)
- Household hazardous waste (labelled and in original container)
- Ammunition
- Expired or no longer needed prescription medications
- Batteries and e-scrap.
No medical waste, commercial waste, or radioactive items will be accepted.
PARTNERS - Spring Clean Up Day is funded in part through a Household Hazardous Waste Grant through the Kentucky Division of Waste Management. Partners include City of Paducah, Clean Earth, Inc., Liberty Tire, McCracken County, McCracken County Sheriff’s Department, Paducah Police Department, Paducah Power System, and Republic Services.
Hazardous Waste Disposal
For the disposal of various hazardous waste substances, the Kentucky Division of Waste Management has prepared Fact Sheets to guide you through the proper disposal. Below are quick links to the proper disposal of common hazardous waste items.
- Antifreeze and Used Oil Check your local car parts store for disposal options.
- Mercury Spills Do not touch the mercury.
- Paint To dispose of latex or water-based paint, open the can and let it harden. After the paint is solid and not pourable, set the open can out for garbage pickup.
Christmas Tree Recycling
NOTE: COMPOST FACILITY IS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE EFFECTIVE DECEMBER 23, 2024, FOR THE ROUTINE GRINDING OF BRUSH.
To dispose of a live Christmas tree, the City of Paducah urges residents to recycle by taking the tree to the Compost Facility located at 1560 North 8th Street during regular business hours. Please remove all lights, garland, ornaments, and tree stand/base before taking the tree to the Compost Facility. Residents also can dispose of trees by placing them next to their garbage.
Reporting Illegal Dump Sites
To report illegal dump sites in McCracken County, contact either the McCracken County Building/Inspection Department at 270-444-4724 or the McCracken County Road Department at 270-442-9163. Reports are confidential.
