Your Weekly Recycling Service Basics

Kansas City provides weekly curbside recycling and trash pickup for single family homes and apartments with 6 units or fewer. Our goal is to make it easy to keep your property clean and your neighborhood looking great.

Weekly Service and Schedule:  

• Frequency: Residential trash and unlimited recycling are collected once per week. Recycling is set out at the same time as trash.
• Days of Service: Collection is scheduled Monday through Friday. Your specific collection day is assigned based on your neighborhood.

See "Service Delays & Holiday Schedule" tab below for more information.

Items You Can Recycle Curbside 

It’s easy to recycle at home—no sorting needed! Just place clean, dry plastic, cans, paper, and cardboard straight into your blue cart (no plastic bags). Set your cart at the curb by 7 a.m. on your trash day and keep the lid closed. 

Want to know exactly what goes in (and what stays out)? Check the detailed list below to make sure your items are ready for collection:

Cardboard & Paper

How to Prepare: Flatten all boxes and ensure no piece is longer than four feet in any direction. If cardboard has food or grease stains (like pizza boxes), the stained portion must go in the trash. 

Accepted Items: 

• Corrugated cardboard (i.e. shipping and moving boxes, etc.)
• Paperboard (i.e. cereal boxes, shoe boxes, soft drink/beer cartons, cardboard egg cartons, etc.)
• Paper (i.e. office paper, newspapers, junk mail, catalogs, magazines, brochures, paper manila folders, etc.)

• Paper cartons (i.e. milk, juice, and vegetable drink cartons, etc.) 

DO NOT INCLUDE (paper/cardboard contamination): 

• Dirty Pizza Boxes or any paper/cardboard with food or grease stains. The stained part must go in the trash.
• Paper towels, napkins, paper plates, or paper cups
• Shredded paper
• Photographs, blueprints, or hanging file folders 

• Gift wrap 

Plastics

• Plastic Bottles (i.e. water bottles, soda, milk, juice, detergent, shampoo bottles, etc.)

• Plastic tubs (yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, deli tubs, peanut butter tubs, etc. 

DO NOT INCLUDE (plastic contamination): 

• Styrofoam (including takeout containers or packing peanuts).
• Plastic bags (including bags for pet food, fertilizer, charcoal, or kitty litter) and plastic wrap.
• Motor oil bottles or other automotive product bottles.
• Containers that held household hazardous materials (even when empty).
• Plastic without the accepted codes (#3, #6, #7), plastic utensils, or hoses.
• Toys and clothing
• Furniture 

• Wires and cords 

Metals 

How to Prepare: Rinse out all cans completely. You may flatten metal cans.

• Aluminum (i.e. soda, food, and beverage cans, clean aluminum foil and foil pans, etc.)

• Steel/Tin (Other metal food cans like vegetables, soup, etc.) 

DO NOT INCLUDE (metal contamination): 

• Metal pots or pans
• Fireworks (new or used)

• Any kind of battery

Please review the "Set Out Requirements" and "Violations" tabs below for more information. 

Handling Extra Recycling

There is no limit to how much you can recycle curbside! If your cart is full or weighs more than 40 lbs.:  

• Use a cardboard box or paper bag for extra recyclables. 
• Label the container clearly with the word “RECYCLING.” 
• The container must be smaller than 32 gallons (about the size of a large, standard household trash can). 

Assisted Stop Request Program 

Eligibility 
The Assisted Stop Program is available to residents who are unable to set out their items at the curb. They will need to provide a doctor's note to be eligible.

How to Apply 
Contact 311 or use the MyKCMO app to request an application.

What Happens Next 
After you apply, the City will mail you the paperwork and instructions you’ll need to verify eligibility. 

Removing an Existing Cart 
If you’ve been approved for an assisted stop, you can request cart removal through the myKCMO app.