Lexington Recycle Center to close for part of December

Lexington's Recycle Center will temporarily close from Dec. 4 - 15 to replace the baler and a fabric structure. People may continue to use recycle carts and recycling dumpsters during the shutdown, but material that is collected will be sent to the landfill.

For those with city waste collection, your last day to put out material for recycling until the center reopens on Dec. 16 is:

• Monday collection: Monday, Dec. 2
• Tuesday collection: Tuesday, Dec. 3
• Thursday or Friday collection: Wednesday, Nov. 27. There is no City waste collection on Thursday, Nov. 28 or Friday, Nov. 29 due to Thanksgiving.

The City requests that residents hold onto recyclables during the shutdown if they are able. Priority items to hold include aluminum and steel cans and cardboard. Glass, paper and plastic are lower priority items.

The baler and fabric structure are vital to the functioning of the Recycle Center. After recyclables are sorted, the baler compacts similar materials into large blocks. These blocks are sent to vendors who are responsible for the actual recycling. The fabric structure serves as the roof for the tipping floor, the space where trucks dump their loads. The fabric roof prevents the material from getting wet or blowing away.

The new baler was ordered over a year ago. Now that it is finally available, the City cannot delay installation. The current baler is old, breaks down often and is difficult to repair. Because the facility must shut down to install the baler, the City is replacing the outside fabric structure at the same time.

The shutdown impacts all communities that send their recyclables to the Lexington Recycle Center. Partner communities include Anderson County, Berea, Boyle County, Clark County, Danville, Frankfort, Franklin County, Georgetown, Harrison County, Harrodsburg, Jessamine County, Lawrenceburg, Madison County, Montgomery County, Nicholasville, Scott County, Shelby County, Shelbyville, Simpsonville, Versailles and Winchester.

Sign up for text alerts for Recycle Center updates and changes to the City collection schedule by texting your regular collection day (MONDAY, TUESDAY, THURSDAY or FRIDAY) to 888777 or sign up for email alerts.