Chattanooga splits it in two. Bulky items — furniture, appliances, mattresses — go to one of three refuse collection centers, up to 12 visits a year. Household garbage goes to the City Landfill on Birchwood Pike, free for city residents in a pickup or smaller.
The refuse centers are open seven days except Monday, including Sunday afternoons — but they take no household garbage and no brush. Bring a driver's license showing a City of Chattanooga address.
Won't take:Household garbage, Brush and leaves, Computer electronics, Paint, Concrete, brick, rock and dirt, Roofing, Pallets, Car parts, Propane and gas tanks, Small engines
Won't take:Household garbage, Brush and leaves, Computer electronics, Paint, Concrete, brick, rock and dirt, Roofing, Pallets, Car parts, Propane and gas tanks, Small engines
Won't take:Household garbage, Brush and leaves, Computer electronics, Paint, Concrete, brick, rock and dirt, Roofing, Pallets, Car parts, Propane and gas tanks, Small engines
City residents: household garbage free, in nothing larger than a pickup
Non-city residents — $2 a bag, up to 15 bags
Garbage — $40 a ton, $30.50 minimum
Special waste (permit required) — $40 a ton, $95 minimum
Accepts: Household garbage
Won't take: Construction and demolition waste, Bulky items (appliances, furniture, clothes, metal, pallets), Batteries, Gas tanks, Flammable liquids, Uncovered loads
No cash or coin — check, credit card or money order. Every load must be tarped; uncovered loads are turned away.
City residents need a driver's license with their current address, or a current utility bill in the same name. The garbage has to come from your primary residence. A private construction and demolition landfill, run by Birchwood II, LLC, operates next door.
Accepts: Household chemicals, cleaners, pesticides and other residential hazardous materials
Won't take:Latex or acrylic paint, Business waste, Unidentifiable materials
Bring a state-issued driver's license showing Tennessee residency. The City's page gives no street number; this is the address on the facility's TDEC permit, on North Hawthorne Street.
The three centers are for bulky trash from the home you live in. The City lists no fee for them, but there are limits:
12 visits per calendar year per resident.
No more than a standard pickup-truck load, and no more than 8 bags a visit.
No tandem-axle trailers, dump bodies or trucks bigger than a standard pickup.
A driver's license showing a City of Chattanooga address (new residents can show a utility bill), and Hamilton County tags — no commercial tags.
No contractors, businesses or landlords.
Closed Mondays and on City holidays. The attendant can refuse any load.
Curbside brush and bulky trash pickup
City crews sweep each of four areas on a rotating schedule, collecting brush, bulky trash and bagged leaves separately. Have everything at the curb, in separate piles, by 7 a.m. on the Monday of your collection week.
Brush: natural wood only, pieces no longer than 8 feet or thicker than 18 inches, piles no taller than 4 feet. No treated wood, pallets or land clearing.
Both brush and bulky trash are limited to 12 collections a year at one property.
Not offered to businesses, apartment complexes or landlords; you or a relative must live at the address.
Small amounts of bagged leaves and grass clippings can simply go in your garbage cart.
What it costs to dump in Chattanooga
For a city resident, nothing: household garbage is free at the City Landfill and the refuse centers list no fee for bulky items, within their limits. Everyone else pays at the City Landfill — $2 a bag up to 15 bags for non-city residents, then $40 a ton with a $30.50 minimum.
To one of the City's three refuse collection centers: 4276 Airport Road, 4500 North Access Road or 1400 West 57th Street. They're for City of Chattanooga residents, up to 12 visits a year, with no fee listed, and are open Tuesday to Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m., closed Mondays.
Can I take household garbage to a Chattanooga refuse center?
No. The refuse centers take bulky items only, not household garbage or brush. Household garbage goes to the City Landfill at 9327 Birchwood Pike in Harrison, which is free for city residents in a pickup or smaller.
Is the Chattanooga landfill free?
For city residents' household garbage, yes, in nothing larger than a pickup and with a license or utility bill showing your address. Non-city residents pay $2 a bag up to 15 bags, then $40 a ton with a $30.50 minimum. No cash is accepted, and every load must be tarped.
Where do I take household hazardous waste in Chattanooga?
To the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility on North Hawthorne Street, open Tuesday to Saturday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is open to Tennessee residents with a state-issued license and free for Hamilton County residents, up to 15 gallons or 150 pounds. Latex and acrylic paint are not accepted.
How often does Chattanooga pick up brush and bulky trash?
Crews rotate through four areas of the city, and each property is limited to 12 brush collections and 12 bulky-trash collections a year. Put brush, bulky items and bagged leaves out in separate piles by 7 a.m. on the Monday of your collection week.
