FREE RECYCLING GUIDE — OWENSBORO, KY

Owensboro Recycling Center: Hours & What’s Accepted

Where to drop off recyclables in Owensboro, when it’s open, and the one rule that gets more loads rejected than any other.

QUICK ANSWER

Owensboro’s Drop-Off Recycling Center is at 1401 W. 7th Street. The site itself is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and an attendant is on-site Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 7am to noon to help sort loads and answer questions.

I get asked about this almost as often as the landfill, usually from someone doing a cleanout who’s got a stack of cardboard and a truck bed of aluminum cans and doesn’t want it taking up space in a dumpster they’re paying for by weight. Good instinct. Here’s the real breakdown.

Because the drop-off center is unstaffed most of the week, it runs on an honor system for sorting, which is exactly where most rejected loads come from. Material has to be clean and separated by type, or the whole load can get turned away instead of just the contaminated part. That one rule trips up more people than anything else about this place.

What’s Generally Accepted

Usually Fine
  • Cardboard, flattened and clean
  • Paper and mixed office paper
  • Aluminum and steel cans, rinsed
  • Plastic bottles and jugs, rinsed
Rejects Whole Loads
  • Food residue or greasy containers
  • Mixed materials thrown in together, unsorted
  • Plastic bags and film
  • Broken glass mixed with other recyclables

Rules can shift, so if you’ve got something unusual or a large commercial load, it’s worth stopping by on an attended day (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat, 7am–noon) to check first.

When Recycling Isn’t Enough

The recycling center handles exactly that, recyclables. Furniture, construction debris, appliances, and general household junk don’t belong there, that’s what the West Daviess County Landfill or a dumpster rental are for. If you’re doing a bigger cleanout and you’ve got a mix of recyclables and everything else, sort out the recyclables for the drop-off center and let a dumpster handle the rest, you’ll save yourself paying disposal weight on cardboard and cans.

Recycling Center Questions

Is the Owensboro recycling center free to use?
Yes, dropping off recyclables at 1401 W. 7th Street doesn’t cost anything.
Can I drop off recycling at 2am?
Yes, the site is accessible 24/7. Just know there won’t be an attendant to help if you go outside of Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday mornings, so it’s on you to sort correctly.
Why does the recycling center reject whole loads?
Mixed or contaminated recyclables can spoil an entire batch during processing, so facilities like this one reject the whole load rather than sort it themselves. Rinse containers and keep materials separated to avoid this.
Where do I take furniture or appliances instead?
Those go to the West Daviess County Landfill at 7772 KY Hwy 815, not the recycling center. Or if you’ve got a full cleanout’s worth, a dumpster saves you the separate trips.

Got More Than Fits in the Recycling Bin?

For everything else, a dumpster dropped at your driveway handles it in one trip.

Call (270) 414-8020