Trash and, if wanted, recycling dumpsters are required at the following:
- Apartments, townhouses or condominiums consisting of seven or more units.
- Complexes or groups of apartments, townhouses or condominiums which may individually have fewer than seven units but are developed as a project whose total units exceed seven and either:
- Have a common or shared parking
- Share entrances and exits
- Have units that do not border public streets and do not have direct access to a curb
- They are situated where roll carts would be grouped in a central location, causing a nuisance to pedestrian traffic.
What you need to know:
- Dumpsters are the expense of the owner or tenant.
- The city does not lease dumpsters.
- A dumpster cannot be placed without an LFUCG permit. An establishment or dumpster leasing company should request a permit by visiting lexingtonky.gov/permits.
- All new tenants/owners who move into a site with an existing dumpster must be issued a permit in their name.
- An inspector from Waste Management will visit the proposed site to determine its acceptability regarding screening, overhead obstructions, truck access, etc. If the site is found acceptable, a permit will be issued upon payment of the $25 permit fee. If conditions do not meet our standards, a list of the needed improvements will be given to the owner/tenant to bring the site up to standards. When the standards have been met, a re-inspection will be conducted, and a permit is issued after the fee is received.
- Non-permitted dumpsters will not be serviced.
- Fines for non-permitted dumpsters can range from $25 – $500.
Dumpster screening
- The dumpster area must be screened on three sides, using material consisting of stone, brick, block, wood or a continuous planting of evergreens. See the example in Dumpster Service Guide.
- The opening for removal of the dumpster for collection must be a minimum of 12 feet to allow for proper access when it is serviced. For every dumpster added, an additional 10 feet in width is needed. See the example in Dumpster Service Guide.
- Whenever screening material is placed around any dumpster, two fixed barrier guard posts must be in place. See the example in Dumpster Service Guide.
- All dumpster enclosures shall be approved by us prior to construction. Learn about the pad area in the Dumpster Service Guide.
Download Dumpster Service Guide
Dumpster service and collection
Dumpsters must be accessible for collection 24 hours a day.
The city provides two collections per week for eight-, six-, four- and two-yard dumpsters. The cost for an additional collection is now $50 for any of those containers. Customers can schedule an extra dump online. If you have questions call (859) 280-8556 from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Payment must be made prior to scheduling a dump, and extra dumps will be made as soon as the schedule allows. Customers may pay in person at Waste Management’s office in the form of check, cash, money order or credit card. Credit card payments for extra dumps are accepted over the phone.
We do not service dumpsters that are filled by compactors, temporary construction containers, or dumpsters on casters.
Holiday collections
If your collection day falls on a holiday:
- Your dumpster will be serviced the day after the holiday if the holiday occurs on Monday or Tuesday.
- Your dumpster will be serviced on the Wednesday before your normal collection day if the holiday occurs on a Thursday or Friday.
Service regulations
Certain conditions may prevent us from servicing your dumpster. Some of the reasons are:
- Our trucks cannot get to the dumpster because a vehicle or another obstruction blocks access. We will try to return for collection only if the driver's schedule allows. Otherwise, we will return on your next scheduled collection day.
- The dumpster has been overfilled beyond the truck's lifting capacity.
- The dumpster contains illegal material, whether you or someone else placed it there.
- Overhead electrical lines.
- Dumpster needs repair.
Bulky item pickup
We will not collect bulky items that are byproducts of a business. This includes appliances that are furnished by apartment complexes. Apartment complexes may drop off appliances for free at Environmental Recycling, 3899 Winchester Road.
Apartment complexes must designate a location where residents can place acceptable bulky items for pickup. We must approve such locations.
Maintenance
All dumpsters shall be maintained in a safe and sanitary condition. The user must clean the dumpster to keep it from becoming malodorous. The city does not clean dumpsters. A small garden-type sprayer, containing a common disinfectant will usually take care of the problem.
Litter and debris shall not be allowed to accumulate around the dumpster. All waste should be deposited in the dumpster in such a manner as to prevent it from spilling or blowing out.
All dumpster repairs and maintenance are the responsibility of the owner or leaseholder.
Disposal fees
The city charges a disposal fee for putting material in the landfill. You will receive a monthly bill from the city based on the size of your dumpster. If you are a property owner and wish to have your tenants billed for their own disposal fees, you need to contact the Division of Revenue at (859) 258-3340 and request a Tenant Agreement form for the landfill user fee. The monthly disposal fees are:
- 2 cubic yard – $12.05
- 4 cubic yard – $24.10
- 6 cubic yard – $36.15
- 8 cubic yard – $48.20
Unacceptable items
- Tires (including rims)
- Liquids of any type (paints, oil,thinners,etc.)
- Wooden pallets
- Lumber
- Tree limbs and brush
- Sawdust
- Large engine parts (blocks, heads, etc.)
- Car parts (exhausts, fenders, doors, bumpers, batteries, oil filters)
- Carpet or carpet padding
- Large scrap metal
- Furniture
- Mattresses and box springs
- Pipe and plumbing materials
- Appliances (stoves, refrigerators, freezers)
- Metal shavings
- Concrete block
- Bricks
- Construction material (drywall, paneling)
- Excavated earth (gravel, rock)
- Compacted food waste
- Metal drums
- Wire binding
- Sewage
- Processed sludge
- Hazardous or toxic material