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Solid Waste Services

Printer Friendly Solid Waste Services Guide Printable PDF (opens in new window) PDF 209K

RESIDENTIAL REFUSE COLLECTION

The City of Lawrence begins residential collection service at 7 a.m. Please have all refuse out by this time on your day of service. Trash is picked up once a week and should be bagged or placed within containers. Grass and leaves are picked up citywide on Mondays, March through December (weather permitting) and collection begins at 6 a.m. Grass and leaves should be in a can, cart, or compostable bag- no plastic bags, please. Single containers should weigh no more than 65 pounds each, as they are manually collected. Wheeled trash carts are available for rental from the Solid Waste Division for only $2.00 a month by calling 785-832-3022.

More details on organic waste below.

You may view the City Code regarding solid waste collection and containers, online (Note: online City Code is not the official Code, as it may not be fully updated.)

RESIDENTIAL COLLECTION SCHEDULE

Map of residential collection areas by day. See descriptions below.

Monday (March through mid-December)

  • Citywide collection of grass and leaves for composting
  • Collection begins at 6 a.m.

Tuesday

  • North Lawrence (north and east of Kansas River)
  • East of Louisiana Street and south of 6th Street
  • East of Mississippi Street between 6th and 13th Streets only

Wednesday

  • North of 15th Street and west of Mississippi Street and east of Wakarusa
  • North of 6th Street from Tennessee Street west to the City limits

Thursday

  • South of 15th Street from Louisiana Street west to the City Limits
  • South of 6th Street and west of Wakarusa to the City Limits

No service occurs on the following holidays

  • New Year's Day, Independence Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Memorial Day, and Christmas Day.

Schedule changes will be advertised in the Lawrence Journal World.

BULKY ITEMS & AUTOMOBILE TIRES

Call the Solid Waste Division at 785-832-3022 to schedule curbside pickup for bulky items and tires.

  • Refrigerators, washers, dryers, hide-a-beds, etc.
  • Five passenger tires per household per year picked up free. Additional/oversized tires accepted for a small fee. Note: Tire retailers such as D&D Tire, En-Tire, and Wal-Mart also take tires for a small fee.

HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE

Call the Waste Reduction & Recycling Division at 785-832-3030 to set up an appointment to drop off your unwanted paint, automotive products, pesticides, batteries and more! Visit the Household Hazardous Waste section of our site for more details about this program.

CHRISTMAS TREES

For information, call 832-3030

YARD WASTE (GRASS AND LEAVES)

Grass and leaves are not to be set out with trash. Instead, Monday is the citywide collection day for grass and leaves, which are then composted. Grass and leaves should be set out in cans, carts, or compostable paper bags (view a list of where bags are available in the Lawn Care section of our site). Place your yard waste near where you would normally set your trash by 6:00 a.m.. If you are very clever, you may even give your trashcan double utility. Mow or rake on the weekend, set your trash can out for Monday filled with grass and/or leaves ONLY, then use the same can for when you take your trash out later that week!

YARD WASTE (WOODY DEBRIS)

Woody Debris Drop-Off Chipping Facility

Tree trimmings, limbs, and branches can be self-hauled to the Wood Recovery and Composting Facility located at 1420 E 11th St. Materials are accepted on Saturdays ONLY from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., mid-April through mid-November. There is a $3.00 fee per vehicle. Call 785-832-7979 for exact dates and details.

Woody materials you do not wish to drop off may be bundled and placed with your trash on trash day to be taken to the landfill, or placed in a can, cart or compostable bag for Monday collection during separate yard trimmings collection season. Bundles should not exceed 5 feet in length, 18 inches in diameter, or 65 pounds per bundle. Please do NOT tie with wire if setting out for Monday collection.

Container Rentals

Containers are available for both residential and commercial use. Call the Solid Waste Division at 785-832-3022 to rent yours.

Residential

Reduce litter and increase collection efficiency with clean, durable, wheeled carts with lids.

  • 90 gallon capacity for $2.00 per month

Commercial

Faced with remodeling? Roofing? Large clean-ups? Roll-off and construction containers available. Call for availability, sizes, and rental fees.

LAWRENCE HAS A LOT TO OFFER… LET'S KEEP IT THAT WAY!

Help us help you keep your neighborhood looking nice! Sawdust, cat litter, sweeping compounds, shredded paper, facial tissues, packaging materials, etc., all blow in the breeze when containers are emptied by the collectors. Please bag these items before putting them out for collection.

Please ensure that fireplace ashes are thoroughly cooled before bagging them for collection. It will take several days for a container of hot ashes to cool naturally.

Improper disposal of hazardous materials can cause pollution and endanger the health and safety of our Solid Waste employees. Call 785-832-3030 for proper disposal of and alternatives to toxic products.