Before you pay anyone to haul something in Chattanooga, it is worth knowing what the city or county will take from the curb for nothing. This page is the plain-language version; the official schedules and limits are linked at the bottom and change from time to time.
Chattanooga's Public Works runs garbage, recycling and a brush and bulky-item collection, and the county areas, Red Bank, East Ridge, Collegedale and Soddy-Daisy each collect on their own rules. What the curb takes depends on which side of a city line you live on.
What curbside collection usually takes
- Household garbage in the bin, on the weekly schedule.
- Yard waste: bagged leaves, bundled limbs cut to length, on its own schedule.
- Some bulky items, furniture and mattresses, on a set day or by appointment, with limits on amount and size.
What it usually will not take
- Construction and renovation debris: drywall, tile, shingles, lumber, concrete.
- Appliances with refrigerant unless the coolant is certified removed.
- Tires, paint, chemicals, fuel, batteries and other hazardous items; the county runs drop-off days or a permanent site for these.
- Anything from a business, a rental turnover or an estate cleanout in volume.
- Whole sheds, hot tubs, fences and playsets.
Where a junk crew fits in Chattanooga
Everything on the second list, plus anything that has to leave today, anything heavy, and anything upstairs, in a basement or behind the house. We also tell you, on the quote, if part of your pile is something the city would take for free on its next collection day.
After a storm
After the Easter 2020 tornado the city and county ran debris pickups in East Brainerd and Ooltewah for weeks, vegetation cut and stacked at the curb, separate from household trash. We haul what those pickups will not take and anything that has to move before they come around.
Official pages
The links under Local resources on our home page go to the city and county pages with the current schedules, limits and drop-off sites.
Questions we get about this
How do I get the city of Chattanooga to pick up a couch?
Check the city's collection page for whether bulky items are collected on a set day or by appointment, and what the limits are. If it does not qualify or you cannot wait, that is the job we do the same day.
Will the city take a refrigerator?
Some programs take appliances once the refrigerant is certified removed; many do not take them at the curb at all. A junk crew handles the certification and the haul.
Can I put construction debris in my regular bin?
No. Renovation debris goes to a licensed facility, by truck or by dumpster.