Frequently Asked Questions

Additional REFUSE carts may be obtained for an added fee of $5.00 per month per cart. Additional RECYCLING carts may be obtained for an added fee of $3.50 per month.
Although Shawnee County Solid Waste retains ownership of the carts, it is the customer's responsibility to keep them clean. Normal wear and tear is expected; however, negligent damage (e.g., burned cart) may result in an additional replacement charge.

We strive to have a cart to every new customer within two weeks of signing up for our service.

Shawnee County Solid Waste offers one large item pick-up per week free of charge. This includes:

• Box-springs & mattress
• Couch or sofa. (Sofa sleepers need to have the metal springs removed to be eligible for free pick-up; you will need to call and schedule a pick-up time for the metal springs.)
• Household furniture
• Fifteen bags of leaves or grass (under 45 lbs per bag)
• Bundled tree limbs, or carpet, are to be no longer than 4 feet in length and/or 18 inches in diameter. (See Customer Information Sheet on our home page)

Restrictions:

Metal items can be picked up by calling our office at 785.233.4774 to schedule. There is a minimum $65.00 fee for this service.

The Shawnee County Solid Waste Department will accept used needles (sharps) in your refuse container with proper preparation. You should place your used needles (sharps) in an empty hard plastic container with a tight-fitting lid (e.g., laundry detergent bottles, bleach bottles, ketchup bottles, etc). Plastic milk containers or red bio-hazardous material containers are not acceptable. After placing the needles (sharps) in the container, make sure the lid is on tight, tape the lid, and indicate what is in the container ( e.g., Used Needles). Under no circumstances should the needle container be placed in your recycle bin.

Containers filled with needles and other sharp items, as well as hazardous materials, should be taken to the Shawnee County Hazardous Waste Facility located at 131 NE 46th St during normal business hours.

The Shawnee County Solid Waste Department’s Household Hazardous Waste facility accepts all electronic waste for recycling. There is no charge for E-waste, with the exception of CRT TVs and monitors. A fee of $40 will be collected for all CRT TV and monitor disposals (regardless of size).

For additional information, please call 785 286-4381.

The Holiday Schedule will let you know when to place your solid waste out for collection during holiday weeks. The schedule is mailed to each of our customers in December of each year. It can also be viewed on the Shawnee County website.

Refuse is collected every week; recycling is collected every other week. Your pick-up day is determined by where you are located in the city/county. Please refer to our Interactive Service Lookup map. To use the map, type in your address; the site will indicate what your day of service is, and whether you are a red or blue week customer. You can then access our red week/blue week calendar to see when your recycling will be picked up. This calendar will also tell you when to expect your pick-up during a holiday week.

The blue lid on your recycling cart is a quick reference guide to what can be placed in it and how it should be placed along the street curb/alley. No electrical cords, garden hoses or any material that will easily wrap around mechanical equipment are acceptable. For information on how to recycle these items, visit www.kabtopsh.org, see the Recycling Directory and see our Customer Information Sheet on the home page.

Click here for a quick reference guide to items that can and cannot be recycled.