Who picks up your trash depends entirely on where you live - inside the
Chattanooga city limits vs the unincorporated county are two different
systems.
The City of Chattanooga provides curbside trash and recycling to city
homes (chattanooga.gov).
- Trash: weekly curbside pickup.
- Recycling: single-stream curbside recycling
(chattanooga.gov/recycle).
Recycling pickup has been suspended/limited off-and-on due to driver
shortages - the city paused curbside recycling at one point and restored
it with a big pay raise for drivers. Don't assume the schedule; check the
current calendar via 311 or
chattanooga.gov/services/waste-recycling.
- Brush & bulky items: the city has scheduled brush and bulky-item
pickup - you call in to get on the list, and it can take a while (it's
a recurring complaint). Check the current procedure before piling stuff
out.
- Refuse Collection Centers: city residents can also drop off many
bulky items (appliances, furniture, pallets, metal) at a Refuse
Collection Center instead of waiting for curbside pickup. There are
three: 4276 Airport Rd, 4500 N. Access Rd, and 1400 W. 57th
St. Hours are Tue-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 1-5pm (closed Mon).
Limits: 12 visits/year, 8 bags per visit, no contractors or
businesses, no household garbage/brush/electronics
(chattanooga.gov).
- 311: city services hotline for missed pickups and schedule questions.
Unincorporated addresses (Harrison, Georgetown, Birchwood, Apison, Sale
Creek, etc.) generally do not get city curbside service. Options:
- Private haulers - residents can contract a private trash service for
curbside pickup in the county. See the private haulers list below.
- Drop-off recycling - both the city's 5 recycle centers and the
county's drop-off centers are open to county residents, so you can
haul your own recyclables in regardless of where you live (full list
below).
- Landfill / trash disposal: out-of-city residents pay at the landfill -
$2 per bag up to 15 bags, after which standard tipping fees apply
(see below).
Do not use Hamilton County recycling or landfill rules for a Georgia
address. The waste provider and accepted materials depend on the county.
- Walker County Landfill: 5120 N Marble Top Road, Chickamauga · (706)
375-8910. It is open Monday-Saturday, 8:00am-4:00pm, and household
garbage must be bagged. Check the current fee schedule and material rules
before loading (Walker County Landfill).
- Catoosa County transfer and recycling center: operated by Republic
Services. Check the county's current disposal rates and accepted-materials
list before bringing a load; do not assume glass or Hamilton County rules
apply (Catoosa County landfill and recycling).
No single countywide hauler serves unincorporated Hamilton County - you
contract one yourself. These are the companies known to serve the area
(availability is address-specific - websites advertise service areas,
but whether a given street gets trash and recycling, or trash only,
varies. Confirm with the hauler for your exact address before signing up):
| Company |
Phone |
Notes |
| Republic Services |
(423) 867-4650 / 1-800-321-8128 |
Large national hauler; advertises residential trash + recycling + dumpsters in the Chattanooga area (republicservices.com) |
| Waste Connections |
(423) 476-2293 |
Serves Chattanooga-area residential + commercial waste (office in Cleveland TN); residential recycling availability is address-specific - check before assuming it's included |
| 5 Star Waste |
(423) 252-9575 / (865) 988-9737 |
Locally owned (formerly "Tennessee Trash"); advertises residential trash + recycling in certain areas (service area varies - verify your address) (5starwaste.com) |
| C&M Disposal |
(423) 894-6964 |
Ooltewah / southern Hamilton Co area since 1979; curbside garbage + recycling (cmdisposalinc.com) |
| Capital Waste Services (Chattanooga Hauling) |
(423) 497-1333 |
Local; residential trash + recycling + yard waste + dumpsters; holds the Soddy-Daisy city garbage contract (capitalwaste.com) |
| Express Waste Solutions |
(423) 362-5555 |
Family-owned; Hixson and Soddy-Daisy area, carts provided; advertises residential recycling (expresswastesolutions.com) |
| Absolute Waste Management |
(423) 682-6622 |
Locally owned; residential trash + bi-weekly recycling in Hamilton Co / Signal Mtn / N Georgia (not Hixson or Soddy-Daisy) (absolute-waste.com) |
Some incorporated towns (e.g. Soddy-Daisy) contract their own hauler, so
residents there may be covered already - check your town first. And while
most of these haulers advertise recycling, "advertises" is not "your
street" - always confirm the exact service (trash only vs trash +
recycling) for your address before you pay.
- Landfill / trash disposal: for out-of-city residents bringing trash
to the landfill, there's a bag fee - around $2 per bag at the
City Landfill (Birchwood Pike, Harrison). Always call ahead for current
fees and hours.
Both the City of Chattanooga and Hamilton County run drop-off
recycling centers, and either set is open to all county residents. The city
centers are the more numerous option inside the metro; the county centers
serve the outlying areas.
Green pins: county recycling centers + city landfill. Blue pins: city of
Chattanooga recycle centers. Gold pins: special items (tires, household
hazardous waste). Click a pin for directions.
All five accept the standard recyclables (plastics #1 & #2, glass, cans,
paper/cardboard, computer electronics) and are open to Hamilton County
residents, not just city residents. Hours: Tue-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 9am-6pm,
Sun 1-5pm (closed Mon)
(chattanooga.gov).
| Center |
Address |
| Brainerd Rd |
5955 Brainerd Rd |
| E 3rd St |
1250 E 3rd St |
| Cummings Hwy |
3189 Cummings Hwy |
| Batters Place Rd |
8004 Batters Place Rd |
| N Access Rd |
4504 N Access Rd |
Recyclables go to the WestRock MRF; glass goes to Strategic Materials
(Atlanta); plastics #1 & #2 to Mohawk/KW Plastics. The city also runs the
Hefty ReNew orange-bag program at these centers (see below — ending
June 2027) for the hard-to-recycle plastics #3-7.
Hamilton County's Recycling Department
(recycle.hamiltontn.gov, office
(423) 209-6480) runs drop-off centers countywide. All locations below
accept: plastics #1 & #2 (soda bottles, milk jugs, shampoo bottles,
etc.), glass (brown/green/clear - remove the lids), aluminum & mixed
metals, mixed paper, corrugated cardboard, and newspaper, plus computers /
computer components and rechargeable batteries.
| Center |
Address |
Hours |
| Hwy 58 |
5414 Hwy 58 (Hwy 58 & Hickory Valley Rd) |
Mon & Wed 9-5, Sat 8-4 |
| Middle Valley |
1868 Crabtree Rd, Hixson |
Mon & Wed 9-5, Sat 8-4 |
| Red Bank |
4857 Dayton Blvd (next to Fire Hall 2) |
Tue-Fri 10-6, Sat 8-4 |
| Standifer Gap |
7625 Standifer Gap Rd |
Mon-Fri 9-5, Sat 8-4 |
| Sequoyah |
9525 Lovell Rd, Soddy-Daisy |
Tue, Thu & Sat 8-4 |
| Tire Recovery Center |
7609 Standifer Gap Rd (tires only) |
Mon-Thu 7:30-3:30; $1 passenger tire / $4 truck tire; call (423) 602-8473 for appointment |
- Used motor oil (crank case oil) is only accepted at four centers:
Standifer Gap, Hwy 58, Middle Valley, and Sequoyah.
- Tires are accepted only at the Tire Recovery Center (not the
general centers).
- The main Recycling office does not accept drop-offs - it's just
offices. Use the centers above.
¶ The landfills
- City Landfill - 9327 Birchwood Pike, Harrison, open Mon-Fri
7am-3pm. Free for Chattanooga city residents to dispose of household
garbage from their primary residence, in nothing larger than a pickup
truck (bring ID / utility bill proving your address). City residents
cannot use it for construction/demolition waste or bulky trash - those
go to a Refuse Collection Center or curbside pickup.
- Non-city residents pay $2 per bag (up to 15 bags), then standard
tipping fees apply with a $30.50 minimum.
- Garbage rates: $40/ton, $30.50 minimum charge. No cash or coin -
checks, credit card, or money order.
- Loads must be tarped. No batteries, gas tanks, or flammable liquids.
- See
chattanooga.gov/services/waste-recycling/landfill.
- Birchwood II, LLC operates the private construction & demolition
landfill adjacent to the city landfill - that's the one that only takes
construction/demolition waste. Don't bring household trash there.
- Fees and hours change; confirm before loading the truck.
Free to any Hamilton County resident - the city's household hazardous
waste facility is open Tue-Sat 8am-3pm and accepts old paint, insecticides,
pool chemicals, and similar hazardous household products
(chattanooga.gov).
- Where: 4063 N Hawthorne St (north Chattanooga, near Kings Point),
co-located at the Wood Recycling Center. It's the gold pin on the map
above, near where N Hawthorne St meets the South Chickamauga Creek
greenway.
- What's accepted: oil-based paint, gasoline, pesticides, motor oil &
vehicle fluids, propane tanks (up to 30 lbs), wet-cell & dry-cell
batteries, CFL bulbs, fire extinguishers, thermostats, smoke detectors,
computer electronics, and more.
- Limits: 15 gallons / 150 lbs per household; TN driver's license
required; no commercial waste.
- Latex paint is NOT accepted (it's non-toxic) - let it dry completely
and put it in your regular trash.
- Details:
chattanooga.gov/services/waste-recycling/hazardous-household-waste,
or call 311.
The city runs the Hefty ReNew orange-bag program for plastics that
regular recycling won't take (plastics #3-7: plastic bags and film,
food wrappers, utensils, foam takeout containers, pet-food bags, etc.)
(hefty.com,
city press release).
Hefty is phasing out ReNew nationwide — bags disappear from store
shelves by the end of 2026 (while supplies last), but filled bags are
still collected at the city centers through June 30, 2027. After that,
contact Hefty for return/refund of unused bags
(hefty.com/hefty-renew).
- How it works (while it lasts): buy the bright-orange Hefty ReNew
bags (sold at Walmart, Target, Publix, Ace Hardware, and online - about
$6/20 bags — stock up before they stop selling them at end of 2026),
fill a bag with accepted hard-to-recycle plastics, tie it, and drop it at
any of the 5 city recycle centers (the blue pins on the map above).
It supplements, not replaces, your regular recycling.
- Who can use it: Hamilton County and city residents both.
- Scale: the city says the program collected 40+ tons of
hard-to-recycle plastic in its first year - and the plastics #3-7 it
captures get turned into things like benches, playground equipment, and
drainage pipe.
- Note: this is a city-run program at the city's 5 recycle centers -
the Hamilton County recycling department does not participate.
Chattanooga ran a food-waste diversion pilot in 2025-26 (curbside food
scraps + glass collection in select zones) and it changed mid-stream, so the
current state is:
- Curbside food-waste pickup ENDED (the pilot's funded period ran
Oct 2025-June 2026; the curbside service stopped at the end of June 2026)
(NewsChannel 9).
- Free kiosk drop-off composting CONTINUES - the city's NewTerra
Composting kiosks at all 5 city recycle centers are still open to all
Chattanooga residents (register at newterracompost.com/kiosk)
(chattanooga.gov/composting).
- Curbside glass collection pilot was EXTENDED another year (from
July 2026) in 6 zones: Belvoir, Brainerd, Brainerd Hills, Missionary
Ridge, Ridgedale, Highland Park
(chattanooga.gov/curbside-glass).
- NewTerra also sells its own private $30/month curbside compost pickup
if you want it at your door.
- Results so far: roughly 93,000 lbs of food waste and 35,000 lbs of
glass diverted during the pilot year
(NewsChannel 9).
- What's accepted (city and county centers): paper, cardboard, cans,
glass bottles/jars (lids off), and plastics #1 & #2 only. Glass and
some plastics aren't worth much - a lot of what goes in the bin still
ends up at the landfill, so when in doubt, trash it (locals will tell you
plastic recycling is mostly wishful thinking).
- Plastics: only #1 and #2 (soda bottles, milk jugs, "anything with
a neck"). Other plastics are not accepted at the centers - but the
Hefty orange-bag program (above, through June 2027) covers plastics
#3-7 (bags, film, wrappers, foam) at the city's 5 centers. After that,
#3-7 plastics go in the trash (store soft-plastic bins at Walmart/grocers
remain an option for bags and film).
- Soft plastics / plastic bags: the city centers do not take plastic
bags or film, but Walmart and many grocery stores (most chains with a
bag-recycling program) have soft-plastic/plastic-bag recycling bins
near the front of the store - the same bins you'd use for dry-cleaning
bags, bubble wrap, and produce bags. That's the easy drop-off for the
stretchy stuff; just leave it clean and dry.
- Cardboard - the most reliably recycled material; break boxes down
before dropping off.
- Electronics - computers and computer components are accepted at
county centers; rechargeable batteries too. Larger e-waste may have
special drop-off events.
- Leaves/grass - city curbside has seasons; county residents should
check their hauler or the landfill.
- Tires - Tire Recovery Center (see above), $1/$4 by appointment.
- Appliances / furniture / bulky trash - city residents: Refuse
Collection Center or curbside pickup request. County residents: ask your
hauler or the landfill for bulky-item rules.
Pickup schedules, fees, and hours change. Verify with the city (311) or
county recycling office ((423) 209-6480) before planning around them.
Last updated: September 2026 — web-verified (compost pilot ended June 2026, glass extended).