Curbside Recycling

Sign Up for Curbside RecyclingSign Up for Curbside Recycling

To sign up for curbside recycling, click the Recycling logo, the button below, or call the Public Works Department at 270-444-8511. The fee (currently $1.50 per month for one 96-gallon rollout) appears on the property owner’s Paducah Water bill. The Paducah Water account number associated with the address is required to complete the registration process. The person responsible for that account must be the one requesting the recycling service.

Sign Up for Curbside Recycling


Paducah's Program

The City of Paducah offers voluntary, single-stream, curbside recycling for its residential customers. Customers MUST sign up to receive the service.

  • Residential service only.
  • Voluntary subscription.
  • Sign up at any time.
  • Single-stream (no sorting necessary for accepted items).
  • $1.50 fee per month per subscriber. If additional recycling containers are needed, each one is an additional $3 per month charge.
    FEE CHANGES: Effective July 1, 2025, there will no longer be a separate fee for curbside recycling unless additional containers are required.  Visit Solid Waste Collection Fee Changes for more information.
  • Collection at curbside/roadside (no alleys).
  • Uses 96-gallon blue rollout containers.
  • The recycling collection day may change due to holidays. Visit Holiday Schedule for more information. 
  • Collection twice per month on Mondays. If your normal trash collection day is either Tuesday or Wednesday, recycling will be collected on the first and third Monday of the month. If your normal trash collection day is either Thursday or Friday, recycling will be collected on the second and fourth Monday of the month. 

View the Interactive Map to find out your garbage and curbside recycling days based on address. 

MAP - Garbage and Recycling Collection Days


Quality is Key 

This is a single-stream program which means all accepted recyclables can be placed in the recycling rollout together. There is no need to sort. Place items loosely in the recycling rollout. Do not use plastic bags since the bags can get caught in the mechanical parts during the single-stream sorting process. Please rinse containers and flatten boxes. Keeping recyclables clean, dry, and loose in your container - free from contamination - helps ensure materials recycled today have a useful second life.

  1. My recycling is rinsed, clean, and dry.
  2. I put food waste in the trash, NOT with the recyclables.
  3. My recycling is loose in the rollout and NOT bagged.

Accepted Items green checkmark

Be sure to place these items loose in the rollout. Do NOT use plastic bags which can tangle in the sorting and processing machinery. Please rinse containers and flatten boxes.

paper - accepted for recycling

Office Paper, Newspaper, Junk Mail, Catalogs
(no shredded paper)

green checkmark

cardboard and paperboard - accepted for recycling

Cardboard and Paperboard (cereal boxes, etc.)
(please flatten)

green checkmark

steel and aluminum cans - accepted for recycling

Steel and Aluminum Food and Beverage Cans

green checkmark

plastic containers - accepted for recycling

Plastic bottles, Jars, Jugs, and Containers 
(don't worry about the plastic number)

green checkmark

drink box - accepted for recycling

Aseptic Containers
(juice boxes, milk cartons, protein drink boxes, etc.)

green checkmark

pizza box - accepted for recycling

Pizza Boxes
(remove chunks of cheese, leftover pizza, and crumbs - a little grease and cheese is fine!)

green checkmark


Do NOT Include These Items  don't include - prohibited sign

The list of items below should NOT be placed in the recycling rollout due to a variety of reasons including the risk of tangling in machinery along with processing and market limitations. If these items are found mixed with recyclables, the materials could spoil the recyclables and turn the entire load to garbage.

If unsure on whether an item can be recycled, please don't put it in the recycle bin. It could contaminate the load!

food and liquids - not accepted

Food or Liquids

don't include - prohibited sign

shredded paper - not accepted

Shredded Paper

don't include - prohibited sign

foam and single use cups and containers - not accepted

Foam or Single-Use Cups, Containers, and Utensils

don't include - prohibited sign

plastic bags and film - not accepted

Plastic Bags or Plastic Film

don't include - prohibited sign

glass - not accepted

Glass

don't include - prohibited sign

electronics and batteries - not accepted

Electronics (e-scrap) or Batteries

don't include - prohibited sign

household and medical hazardous waste - not accepted

Household Hazardous Waste or Medical Waste

don't include - prohibited sign

yard waste - not accepted

Yard Waste
(It's ok to put small amounts in garbage container or visit Compost Facility for disposal)

don't include - prohibited sign

clothing, furniture, and carpet - not accepted

Clothing, Furniture, or Carpet
(gets tangled in machinery)

don't include - prohibited sign

tires and waste oil - not accepted

Tires or Waste Oil

don't include - prohibited sign

hoses and tangling items - not accepted

Hoses or Items that Tangle

don't include - prohibited sign

dirty diaper - not accepted

Dirty Diapers

don't include - prohibited sign

 


Processing of Recyclables - What Happens to My Recyclables?

Step 1 – The City of Paducah Solid Waste Division crews collect the curbside recyclables and take them to the Green for Life (GFL) facility located at 400 State Street in Paducah. The City of Paducah has a contract with GFL for the transfer and proper disposal of solid waste and for the transfer of recyclables to a processing facility.

Step 2 - Once GFL has a full load of recyclables, the recyclables are hauled to Waste Management (WF) River Hills Material Recovery Facility in Nashville, Tennessee for processing.

Step 3 – At WF in Nashville, the recyclables are sorted and processed for market or properly disposed.

Confidence in Processing – The WF River Hills Material Recovery Facility is required to be permitted through the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation. The Facility receives quarterly state inspections. WF also takes the extra step of contracting with a third-party inspector for monthly inspections to ensure all standards are being met including storm water and material storage.


Recycling Drop Point Location

In addition to the residential curbside recycling program, the City offers a recycling drop point location at Green for Life (GFL) located at 400 State Street. The drop point location is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. until noon. There is no charge for the general public to drop off recyclables. 


Efficiencies for Program Success

The keys to the program’s success are public participation and the efficiencies gained in the Public Works Department through a restructuring of the brush and yard waste collection program. Residents should manage some of their yard waste/grass clipping at the household level by mulching or by using the garbage rollout for smaller volumes of twigs and bags of yard waste. To request a collection of yard waste or brush, call Public Works at 270-444-8511.  

The City of Paducah’s voluntary, single-stream, curbside recycling program launched with the first collection on Monday, January 22, 2018.  

The City of Paducah is committed to providing a responsible and efficient curbside recycling program that enables our community to make a positive impact on the environment.