Rumpke reminds Louisville residents what can and can’t be tossed this holiday season

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Rumpke is reminding customers to be mindful of what you throw away this holiday season.

Americans throw away 25 percent more trash around the holidays, according to a news release. Therefore, Rumpke is reminding people of the nice (acceptable) and naughty (unacceptable) items that can be thrown away.

Nice List (acceptable items):

Non-foil wrapping paper
Cardboard boxes
Paper gift bags
Gift boxes
Postcards, greeting cards and envelopes
Newspapers and sales ads
Junk mail
Clean pizza boxes
Paperboard (like cracker & cereal boxes)
Glass bottles & jars
Beverage cartons
Aluminum & steel cans

Naughty List (not accepted):

Lithium-ion batteries
Christmas lights
Ornaments
Christmas trees (real or artificial)
Ribbons & bows
Foil wrapping paper
Toys
Candles & candle holders
Greeting cards with sound (these contain lithium-ion batteries and should not be discarded in trash or recycling)
Styrofoam
Plastic packaging (packing peanuts, bubble wrap, etc.)

To dispose of batteries, take them to a designated drop-off location like Batteries Plus or Metro Louisville's Haz Bin drop-off site at 7501 Grade Lane.

In addition, Rumpke trash collection will be delayed one day due to Christmas and New Year's holidays. Customers with Thursday collection will be on Friday and those with Friday collection will be collected on Saturday during both weeks. Normal trash pick-up will resume the week of Jan. 5, 2026.

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