Recycling

Curbside Recycling Program

The City of Paducah offers voluntary, single-stream, curbside recycling for its residential customers.  For more information and to sign up for this voluntary service that costs $3 per month, visit Curbside Recycling.

Recycling Drop-Off Facility Through Freedom Waste

As part of its contract with Freedom Waste Service (WCA), the City of Paducah offers a recycling drop point location.  The location is adjacent to Freedom’s transfer station at 400 State Street in Paducah.  The facility 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. 

Note:  This facility is closed to the public on the following holidays:  Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.

Customers can drive through and unload their recyclables by placing them in one of the large blue containers.  Please separate cardboard and place it in the marked bin.  All other accepted recyclables can be placed together in the blue single-stream bins.  Accepted recyclables include pasteboard (which includes cereal and other similar-type boxes), newspapers, magazines, junk mail, phone books, hardback and paperback books, office paper, tin, steel, and aluminum cans, and plastic containers.  Please rinse containers before bringing them to the facility. 

Freedom will not accept electronics, batteries, household hazardous waste, refrigerators, freezers, tires, or glass.

Commercial Recycling Collection

Commercial solid waste haulers are allowed to collect recyclables from commercial entities in the City of Paducah.  An annual permit is required at a cost of $50 per year.  Call the Public Works Department at 270-444-8511 for more information. 

Waste Stream Reduction

Through composting, the City of Paducah is reducing the waste stream by more than 23%.  This diversion occurs from the yard waste as well as the biosolids from the wastewater treatment process.  Click Compost Facility for more information about the facility located on North 8th Street and the composting process.  The City of Paducah also offers a corrugated cardboard recycling program for local businesses.  The cardboard is collected and recycled at Republic Services.  This amounts to approximately a 3% reduction in our waste stream.  The combination of these recycling programs amounts to more than a 26% reduction in our waste stream. This surpasses the State's goals for reduction and recycling set in 1997 of 25%.

Christmas Tree Recycling

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, and ornaments before taking the tree to the Compost Facility. Residents also can dispose of trees by calling the Public Works Department at 270-444-8511 to request the tree to be picked up by city crews.

Private Recycling Companies

To find the recycling centers in any Kentucky county (including centers in McCracken County), click Kentucky Division of Waste Management.  Click Recycling Centers for a website that allows you to enter your zip code to find recycling centers in your region.  It also provides driving directions.  However, the list of local recycling centers is not as complete as what you will find on the Kentucky Division of Waste Management website.  Below is a summary of the information on the Kentucky Division of Waste Management website.  Please check with the facility for its hours and details of what it accepts.