Frequently Asked Questions

Your containers should be placed on the curb no earlier than 4 p.m. prior to your collection day and no later than 7:30 a.m. on the day of your collection. Containers must be removed from the curb by 7 p.m. on the day of your collection. Please be aware that anything within a 3-foot radius of the container shall be deemed garbage to be collected. All trash must be contained in disposable plastic bags that are securely tied before placing inside of container. Trash cans and recycling containers should be placed in the rear of a home or building with the exception of collection day. 

CARDBOARD: Please flatten. Extra cardboard may be placed beside the container. Please do not put other items inside boxes.
CANS: Aluminum and steel (tin) cans. Please rinse.
PLASTICS: Plastic bottles, soft drink, milk jugs, detergent jugs, or any items with a 1 or 2 in the recycling emblem (usually located toward the bottom and looks like a triangle0. Please rinse any bottles that may have contained liquid.
PAPERS: Newspapers, magazines, telephone books, mixed paper, school paper, junk mail, and books.

Plastic bags, food scraps, shrink wrap, glass bottles and jars, soiled paper, leaves/grass, household waste, disposable diapers, sticks/branches.

The department uses separate trucks for garbage and recycling. To avoid the trucks getting in each other’s way, we have scheduled the routes so that containers are emptied at different times. Please give the other truck time to empty your container.

The City of Somerset will pick up bulk items that are placed by the roadside for a disposal fee.  All doors on refrigerators and freezers MUST be removed before placing at the curb. All items that are made of or contain upholstery or similar material such as mattresses, box springs, furniture and other related items must be completely and fully wrapped in plastic or other waterproof material.

Items such as box springs, mattresses, TVs, washers, dryers, water heaters, refrigerators, freezers, couches, loveseats, recliners, brush, remodeling materials, bicycles, or other items that cannot fit into a can or bag are considered an extra pickup.

In an effort to keep our city safe and clean, items placed on the curb on the wrong day or without reporting to the sanitation department may be picked up immediately. The property owner will be responsible for the disposal of said items.

The City of Somerset allows six 30 gallon bags (about 2-3 cans) per week.  If your can will not roll, it has exceeded the weight limit and is overloaded.  The can may not be emptied. If you regularly have more trash than fits into your can, please make sure you are utilizing your recycling container to its fullest potential.

Please report any lost, stolen or vandalized cans to the City of Somerset Sanitation Department as soon as possible. All reports will be investigated by the sanitation department. If the property owner is found to be negligent in the care of the container, he or she will be responsible for the cost of the replacement.

• Recycling reduces the amount of waste that goes to landfills.
• Recycling helps save our environment.
• A stack of newspapers just 3 feet high saves one tree.
• Enough energy is saved by recycling one aluminum can to run a TV for three hours.
• Pollutants from manufacturing processes are reduced through recycling — 50% for paper and 90% for aluminum.
• Strengthens the economy by putting money back into the local economy and provides jobs in the recycling industry.

We will tag your container if items placed inside are not on the approved list. The tag will be marked on why we were unable to empty. A red tag is a warning. The next time you receive one, your can will be picked up and returned to the sanitation department.

Our 4,6, and 8 yard dumpsters are available for rent at residential home for a period of 30 days. If the dumpster is NOT emptied within 30 days there will be a rental fee. The rental fee is the same as if the dumpster had been emptied. The Sanitation department reserves the right to remove any dumpster after 30 days These dumpsters are for small clean up jobs such as rental homes, garages and basement. They are NOT used for construction purposes. DO NOT dispose of any hazardous material such tires, gasoline, paint, weed killer, etc. 

Containers are required at the expense of the owner at the following locations:

• Apartments, townhouses, or condominiums of seven or more units.
• Complexes or groups of apartments, townhouses or condominiums which may individually have fewer than seven units, but are developed as a project with total units exceeding seven and have either common or shared parking, shared entrances and exits, or are situated where cans would be grouped in a central location.
• All office, commercial and industrial units, including apartments, townhouses and condominium complexes determined by the inspector to generate a sufficient amount of refuse to warrant the use of a dumpster (approximately 8 cubic yards per any collection day or four or more cans of refuse normally).

All bulk items picked up at apartment, townhouses, or condominium complexes will be the responsibility of the property owner unless otherwise stated. If you are a property owner and want the tenant to be charged for bulk items, please have the tenant call with the request for removal.

Exempt from these requirements are apartment buildings, office, commercial and industrial units or other buildings which the inspector at the sanitation department determines either do not have sufficient space to properly locate a dumpster or have special circumstances which make the use of a dumpster at that location impracticable.

A dumpster cannot be placed on any site without a permit from the City of Somerset Sanitation Department. An establishment should request the permit by calling 606-679-1107 or 606-676-9246 or emailing sanitation@cityofsomerset.com.  An inspector from the sanitation department will visit any proposed site to determine its acceptability in regard to screening, overhead obstructions, truck access, etc. If the site is found acceptable, a permit will be issued upon receipt of the permit fee, which is $25.

If the conditions do not meet with the inspector’s approval, a list of the needed improvements will be given to the owner/tenant in order to bring the site up to standards. When the standards have been met, a re-inspection will be conducted, and a permit is issued after the fee is received.

When the dumpster is picked up the driver will put a tarp over the load for containment during transport.  We ask that you DO NOT load any material above the top rails of the dumpster.  Try to keep the load flat and distribute the weight as evenly as possible. If for any reason the dumpster is improperly loaded and cannot be transported safely, you will have to unload the dumpster to a safe level before we can remove it.  Additional charges may be assessed.

The City of Somerset rents dumpster to anyone considered to be within the city limits. Most of our clients are homeowners, businesses, real estate agents and contractors

The City of Somerset works with most types of home improvement, demolition and cleanout projects, but there are some items we simply CAN NOT dispose of per EPA guidelines. Those items include:
•Bio-hazardous materials/medical waste
•Paint (although dry paint cans are permissible)
•Batteries
•Propane tanks
•Liquids/Solvents/Freon/Chemicals
•Equipment containing gas or oil

The City of Somerset always appreciates a couple days’ notice; we realize that’s not always possible. As long as you place your order by noon the day before, we typically are able to deliver it the next business day.  In some many cases we are able to do same day delivery.

Despite our many precautions, there is always the potential of damage to your property.  This damage can be caused by heavy trucks, the weight of the containers or poor surface conditions.  The City of Somerset is not financially liable for the damages caused by normal dumpster operation.