Bulky Trash Collection

Common Acceptable Items

TV's 

NOT Acceptable Items* 

• This service is NOT offered to businesses, apartment complexes, or landlords.
• You, or a relative must live at the address requesting service.
• Material must not be mixed with household garbage, railroad ties, treated wood or brush.
• Do not approach collection trucks.

• Place items separate from household items and at least 5-feet away from other stationary objects
• Bulk trash should be placed as near as practicable to a public street in front of the residence.
• Do not place bulk trash on street parking areas, drainage clean-outs, any sidewalk or drainage ditch.
• Do not place bulk trash over water meters or low hanging wires. 
• Do not place bulk trash in alleyways.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

311 can now be used to schedule bulk trash pickup, Public Works transitions service to service request system

Residents will be able to schedule bulk trash pickups through 311 and will be given an estimated pickup time, limiting items being left on curbs for undetermined periods of time.

Chattanooga, Tenn. (March 19, 2024) - The Chattanooga Department of Public Works will transition bulk trash collection services to a service request system, moving away from a rotating calendar schedule that required residents to place bulk trash curbside in accordance with a rotating zoned schedule. The collection system led to bulk items being left on curbs for prolonged periods of time. Under the new system residents can contact 311 to schedule a pickup.

Under the previous system, drivers would provide service to a given area for only a week at a time and wouldn’t be scheduled to revisit that area for another month. The process led to bulk items being left on curbs for days, sometimes weeks, at a time. Under the changes, residents can call 311, email 311@chattanooga.gov, or use the 311 app to request a pickup for bulk items and will be given an estimated timeframe for pickup. 

The operational changes will eliminate the need for residents to plan pickups around a predetermined schedule and reduce the time for bulk items to sit curbside before being collected, with the goal of items being picked up within eight business days of the request being made.

“Forcing residents to rely on an online schedule to have their trash picked up was a major inconvenience for them - and we received complaints that long periods without service was not good for neighborhoods,” said Ross Pitcairn, administrator for the Department of Public Works. “These adjustments will improve services in every neighborhood in Chattanooga and make for a much more efficient process for our employees.”

Brush pickup services will still be provided using a zoned method, but drivers will service each zone continuously, not on a rotating basis as they had under the previous system.

The new service model will begin on April 1, 2024 and will be applied to this year’s leaf pickup service, which begins on November 1, 2024.

We will begin picking up in the following areas and on the following dates for brush:

2023/24 Brush Collection Schedule

•  Area 1: Lookout Valley, St Elmo, Alton Park, East Lake (Blue)

      November 6 – November 22 (3 Consecutive Weeks)
      January 8 – January 19 (2 Consecutive Weeks)
      March 4 – March 8
      April 1 – April 5
      April 29 – May 3
      May 27 – May 31
      June 24 – June 28
      July 22 – July 26
      August 19 – August 23
      September 16 – September 20
      October 14 – October 18

•  Area 2: North Chattanooga, Hixson (Green)

       November 27 – December 8 (2 Consecutive Weeks)
       January 22 – February 2 (2 Consecutive Weeks)
       March 11 – March 15
       April 8 – April 12
       May 6 – May 10
       June 3- June 7
       July 1 – July 5
       July 29 – August 2
       August 26 – August 30
       September 23 – September 27
       October 21 – October 25

•  Area 3: Brainerd, East Chattanooga (Yellow)

December 11 – December 21 (2 Consecutive Weeks)
February 5 – February 16 (2 Consecutive Weeks)
March 18 – March 22
April 15 – April 19
May 13 – May 17
June 10 – June 14
July 8 – July 12
August 5 – August 9
September 2 – September 6
September 30 – October 4
October 28 – November 1      

•  Area 4: East Brainerd. Highway 58 (Orange)

        December 26 – January 5 (2 Consecutive Weeks)
        February 19 – March 1 (2 Consecutive Weeks)
        March 18 – March 22
        April 22 – April 26
        May 20 – May 24
        June 17 – June 21
        July 15 – July 19
        August 12 – August 16
        September 9 – September 13
        October 7 – October 11

Below is a comprehensive list of how to set out your brush and loose leaves

• Piles should be positioned as close as possible to a public street in front of the residence without blocking the roadway, sidewalks, drainage ditches, or catch basins.
• Wood waste may not be larger than eight feet in length, eighteen inches in diameter, or four ft. in height.
• Bulk, brush, wood, and yard waste must be separated into their own piles and not be intermixed with other refuse. 

To see a full list of guidelines, visit our website at https://chattanooga.gov/public-works/city-wide-services/brush-collection

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About The City of  Chattanooga Department of Public Works

The Department of Public Works consists of several divisions including: Street Maintenance Division, Street and Traffic Division, Engineering Division, Development Review and Permitting Division, Stormwater Division, and Wastewater Division. The Department is responsible for planning, developing, and maintaining the City's infrastructure, treating wastewater, and collecting solid waste and materials for recycling.