A public resource guide
Every legitimate way to get rid of furniture, appliances, mattresses, and bulk waste in Chattanooga, including FREE area-rotation bulky trash pickup (4 areas, no appointment), the 12-per-12-months annual cap, the strict SFH-only eligibility, separate piles for brush/bulk/leaves, and what to do when paid hauling isn't an option.
Last updated: May 2026 · Maintained by Freemoval as a public resource
Chattanooga runs a unique area-rotation bulk pickup system: FREE Brush & Bulky Trash Collection by 4 rotating service areas, NO appointment needed. The City is divided into Areas 1-4, and dedicated bulk trucks remain in each area for one week before rotating to the next, giving every street citywide coverage roughly once per month. Residents prepare separate piles for brush, bulk trash, bagged yard waste, and leaves at the curb by 7 AM Monday of their assigned collection week. Annual cap: maximum 12 brush collections + 12 bulk collections per single property per consecutive 12-month period. Service is restricted to residential properties only, NOT available to businesses, apartment complexes, or landlords. You or a relative must live at the address. Wood waste limit: 8 ft long, 18 in diameter, 4 ft high. Brush and bulk MUST NOT be mixed. Holiday schedule is one of the simplest in the country, only Thanksgiving and Christmas affect collection. This page walks through every legitimate option in order from free to paid.
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Chattanooga residents have free area-rotation Brush & Bulky Trash Collection (4 areas, weekly rotation, no appointment, 12 per type per 12 months), free weekly automated trash collection, free biweekly curbside recycling (opt-in sign-up), free Household Hazardous Waste Facility, free recycle collection centers, free wood recycling center, and donation pickup programs. Service is provided by the City of Chattanooga Department of Public Works, Solid Waste Division. Customer service: 311 at (423) 643-6311 or 311@chattanooga.gov.
Free Brush & Bulky Collection (4-Area Rotation, No Appointment)
Free, by areaChattanooga is divided into 4 service areas (Areas 1-4). Dedicated bulky trucks remain in each area for one week, then rotate to the next area, giving every street citywide coverage roughly once per month. NO appointment, NO scheduling needed, place items at the curb by 7 AM Monday of your area's collection week. Find your area by entering your address at chattanooga.gov.
Eligibility: Residential properties ONLY, NOT for businesses, apartment complexes, or landlords. You or a relative must live at the address.
Service areas: 4 areas (Area 1, 2, 3, 4). Each area gets one collection week per rotation cycle. Cycle ~1 month.
2026 example schedule: Area 1 (Lookout Valley, St Elmo, Alton Park, East Lake): Week of Jan 30. Areas 2-4 follow in subsequent weeks.
Annual cap: Maximum 12 brush collections + 12 bulky trash collections per single property per consecutive 12-month period.
Set-out time: By 7 AM Monday of your area's collection week. Collection occurs Monday-Friday that week.
Cost: Free for residential properties.
How to schedule: NO appointment needed. Just place piles at the curb during your area's week. Find your area at chattanooga.gov by address.
Pile rules: Separate piles for brush, bulk trash, bagged yard waste, and leaves, do NOT mix. Crews use different trucks for each material type.
Wood waste limits: Wood waste no larger than 8 ft long, 18 in diameter, 4 ft high.
Brush limit per pile: Brush must be assembled at only ONE location adjacent to or on the property where it was generated.
Placement rules: As close to public street as practical. Don't block roadway, sidewalk, drainage ditches, or catch basins. Don't place over water meters or low-hanging wires. NOT in alleyways. Brush at least 5 ft from parked cars, mailboxes, and other objects.
NOT accepted: Items mixed with household garbage, railroad ties, treated wood, contractor land-clearing waste, construction debris, hazardous waste.
Free Weekly Automated Trash Collection
Free, weeklyChattanooga residents receive free weekly automated trash collection in City-issued garbage carts. NO sign-up needed, service comes with the property. Set out by 7 AM on your collection day.
Frequency: Weekly.
Cost: Free, included with City service. NO monthly bill.
Set-out time: By 7 AM on your collection day.
Find your day: Call 311 at (423) 643-6311 or use the interactive map at chattanooga.gov.
Cart issues: Removable carts after collection day. Container repair: call 311.
Free Biweekly Curbside Recycling (opt-in sign-up)
Free, opt-inCurbside recycling is FREE but OPT-IN, sign up online or call 311. Single-stream, everything in one cart. Picked up biweekly. Up to 2 recycling containers allowed at each residential location (1 for businesses).
Sign up: Sign up online at chattanooga.gov or call 311 at (423) 643-6311.
Frequency: Biweekly (every other week).
Cost: Free. Customers with more than one garbage cart may exchange a garbage cart for a recycle cart at no cost.
Set-out time: By 7 AM on collection day.
Container limit: Up to 2 recycling containers per residential location. Businesses limited to 1.
Cleanliness rule: All recyclable material must be clean of food debris.
Free Household Hazardous Waste Facility
Free for residentsThe City of Chattanooga operates a Household Hazardous Waste Facility for residents. Free disposal of paint, motor oil, pesticides, household cleaners, batteries, fluorescent bulbs, and other hazardous materials. Call 311 for current location and hours.
What's accepted: Paint, motor oil, pesticides, household cleaners, batteries, fluorescent bulbs, propane tanks.
Cost: Free for Chattanooga residents.
How to find current info: Call 311 at (423) 643-6311.
Recycle Collection Centers + Wood Recycling Center
Free for residentsIn addition to curbside, Chattanooga operates Recycle Collection Centers and a dedicated Wood Recycling Center where residents can drop off recyclables and wood waste free. Call 311 for current locations and hours.
Recycle Collection Centers: Multiple locations across the City for free recyclables drop-off.
Wood Recycling Center: Dedicated facility for clean wood waste.
Cost: Free for residents.
Freemoval (partner-community pickups)
FreeFreemoval is a social impact program that subsidizes free junk removal pickups in partner communities, typically affordable housing properties and select municipal partnerships. Chattanooga partner expansion is in progress for 2026.
Eligibility: Households in active partner communities. Ask your property manager whether your building participates.
Status in Chattanooga: Onboarding partner properties throughout 2026.
Donation-pickup programs
FreeChattanooga-area nonprofits offer free pickup for items in usable condition.
The Salvation Army Chattanooga: Free pickup of clothing, furniture, household items. Schedule at satruck.org or call 1-800-SA-TRUCK.
Habitat for Humanity Chattanooga ReStore: Multiple locations. Free pickup for furniture, appliances, building materials.
Goodwill Industries of Greater Chattanooga: Donation pickup for larger items in the Chattanooga metro area.
AIM Center: Local Chattanooga nonprofit. Accepts furniture and household goods donations.
Chattanooga DPW Solid Waste Division. The City of Chattanooga Department of Public Works, Solid Waste Division provides residential trash, recycling, and Brush & Bulky pickup services. Surrounding areas (Hamilton County unincorporated, East Ridge, Red Bank, Soddy-Daisy, Signal Mountain) have their own waste arrangements (often Republic Services or other private haulers).
The 4-area rotation system. Starting January 30, 2023, Chattanooga moved away from a service-request system back to area-based rotation collection (after a brief 2024 attempt to add 311 scheduling). The current model: 4 service areas, dedicated bulky trucks remain in each area for one week before rotating to the next, completing a full cycle in approximately 4 weeks. This means every street gets bulky pickup roughly once per month. Find your area by entering your address at chattanooga.gov, signs are also posted at major intersections during each week's collection.
Strict eligibility: residential only. The Brush & Bulky service is NOT available to businesses, apartment complexes, or landlords. You or a relative must live at the address requesting service. Contractors performing land clearing are NOT eligible for collection. This is one of the more restrictive eligibility rules in the country and reflects Chattanooga's focus on residential-property cleanup rather than commercial waste streams. Apartment buildings and businesses must contract with private haulers (Republic Services, GFL, WCA Waste, etc.).
The 12-per-12-months annual cap. Brush collections are limited to 12 at one single property within any consecutive 12-month period. Bulky Trash collections similarly limited to 12 per property per 12 months. With 4 service areas rotating monthly, this means you're effectively allowed every available collection in your area. Most households use far fewer.
Separate piles rule. Different materials (brush, bulk trash, bagged yard waste, leaves) require different equipment and disposal sites, crews use different trucks for each. Therefore residents must keep brush, bulk trash, bagged yard waste, and leaves in separate piles at the curb. If items are mixed (e.g., brush stacked on top of bulk trash), the truck operator may not be able to safely collect them, leading to skipped pickups.
Wood waste size limits. Wood waste may not be larger than 8 ft in length, 18 in diameter, and 4 ft high. Items exceeding these limits (large stumps, oversized lumber) must be cut down or self-hauled.
Placement rules. 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. Don't place over water meters or under low-hanging wires. Brush at least 5 ft from parked cars, mailboxes, and other objects. NOT in alleyways.
Smaller yard waste in trash cart. Small amounts of bagged leaves and bagged grass clippings may be placed inside your garbage container for weekly collection. This is a useful shortcut for routine lawn maintenance, not everything needs to wait for the area rotation week.
Holiday delays, only 2 days. Garbage is collected on ALL holidays EXCEPT Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. This is one of the simplest holiday schedules in the country (matching Knoxville and similar to Buffalo). Most cities have 6-7 holiday delays; Chattanooga has 2.
Find your service area. Enter your address at chattanooga.gov to see your area number. Signs are also posted at major intersections during each week's collection.
Customer service. 311 at (423) 643-6311. Email: 311@chattanooga.gov. 311 mobile app for service requests. chattanooga.gov/services/waste-recycling for online resources. DPW: 1250 Market Street, Chattanooga TN 37402.
Chattanooga's donation programs accept items in good usable condition: clean upholstered furniture without significant tears or stains, working appliances less than 10 years old, mattresses in good condition (subject to program-specific rules), kitchenware, lamps, and most household goods.
Items typically not accepted: damaged or stained furniture, mattresses with bedbug history or significant wear, appliances that don't work, particle-board furniture in poor condition, cribs (federal safety regulations have changed), and exercise equipment that requires reassembly. Always call before scheduling if you're unsure, pickups that find unacceptable items will leave them behind.
For households who exceed the 12-per-type annual cap (rare), can't wait for the next area rotation week (~3-4 weeks max), live in apartment buildings (NOT eligible for City service), have construction debris, exceed wood waste size limits, or need same-day or in-home pickup, paid options are available. Note: Chattanooga's monthly rotation gives most households more frequent free service than appointment-based cities, planning around your area's week handles 95% of disposal needs.
LoadUp paid pickup
$70+For households who can't wait for their area's rotation week, exceed the 12 collections per type per 12 months, live in apartment buildings without City service, have construction debris (NOT eligible for City service), exceed wood waste size limits (over 8 ft / 18 in / 4 ft), or want full-service in-home pickup, LoadUp offers professional removal in Chattanooga with upfront pricing. Independent loaders in the marketplace handle pickup, loading, and licensed disposal. LoadUp's headquarters is in Atlanta, Chattanooga is part of our home market.
What's included: Loading, hauling, and licensed disposal. No prep needed beyond pointing out what goes, crew handles in-home pickup.
Pricing: Starts around $70 for a single item; full-truck pickups range from $300 to $600 depending on volume.
When this beats waiting: Move-outs, real estate timelines, multi-load cleanouts, items the City won't accept (construction debris), apartment buildings (no City service), urgent same-day timelines.
Other paid services in Chattanooga: 1-800-Got-Junk Chattanooga, College Hunks Hauling Junk, Junk King, comparison-shop for larger jobs.
If you can pay for a pickup, your booking helps fund free pickups for someone else. Every paid LoadUp customer can opt in to round up at checkout, and 100% of round-ups go directly to Freemoval’s subsidized jobs.
Book a Chattanooga pickup with LoadUp → Round-up option appears at checkout. Optional, opt-in only.
Different items have different rules in Chattanooga. Here's a quick reference for the most common things people need to dispose of.
Chattanooga residents have free hazardous waste disposal at the City Household Hazardous Waste Facility. Call 311 at (423) 643-6311 for current location, hours, and accepted items. Free for Chattanooga residents. Drop off paint, motor oil, pesticides, household cleaners, batteries, fluorescent bulbs, propane tanks. Several retailers also offer ongoing free recycling: Home Depot for batteries and CFL bulbs, AutoZone for motor oil and car batteries, Best Buy for electronics, most pharmacies for unused medications.
To report illegal dumping in Chattanooga, call 311 at (423) 643-6311 or use the 311 mobile app. Reports can also be filed by emailing 311@chattanooga.gov. Include the location, description of dumped material, and a photo if possible. Chattanooga investigates dumping reports through DPW Solid Waste and Code Enforcement, commercial properties or apartment buildings using the residential-only Brush & Bulky service may receive code enforcement notices. If you're considering dumping because the next area rotation week is too far away, please use the FREE area rotation collection, with monthly cycles, your next collection week is at most ~3-4 weeks away. For urgent timelines, paid haulers like LoadUp at $70+ are dramatically cheaper than illegal dumping fines under Tennessee law.
Is there really free junk removal in Chattanooga?
Yes, Chattanooga has area-rotation Brush & Bulky Trash Collection that gives every residential property monthly free pickup with NO appointment needed. Just place items at the curb by 7 AM Monday of your area's collection week (Areas 1-4 rotate weekly). Up to 12 brush collections + 12 bulky collections per property per 12 months, effectively unlimited for most households since a typical household uses far fewer. Plus: free weekly automated trash collection, free biweekly recycling (opt-in sign-up), free Household Hazardous Waste Facility, free Recycle Collection Centers, free Wood Recycling Center, and free donation pickup through Salvation Army, Habitat ReStore, Goodwill, and AIM Center. Strict eligibility: residential properties ONLY (not businesses, apartment complexes, or landlords). Find your service area by entering your address at chattanooga.gov.
How does the 4-area rotation system actually work?
Chattanooga is divided into 4 service areas (Areas 1, 2, 3, 4). Dedicated bulky trucks remain in ONE area for an entire week, collecting brush, bulk trash, bagged yard waste, and leaves Monday through Friday from every street in that area. The next week, the trucks rotate to the NEXT area. After 4 weeks, all areas have received collection, and the cycle starts over. Place your piles at the curb by 7 AM Monday of YOUR area's collection week. Find your area by entering your address at chattanooga.gov, signs are also posted at major intersections during each week's collection. Example 2026 schedule: Area 1 (Lookout Valley, St Elmo, Alton Park, East Lake) gets the week of January 30; Areas 2-4 follow in subsequent weeks. The system was reverted to area rotation in January 2023 after issues with both an earlier rotating-zone schedule and a brief 2024 attempt at a 311 service-request system.
Why do I need separate piles for brush vs. bulk trash?
Different materials require different equipment and go to different disposal sites: brush gets chipped at the Wood Recycling Center for mulch and compost, bulk trash goes to the landfill, leaves get composted, and bagged yard waste enters a different processing stream. The City uses different trucks for each material type during the area collection week, a brush chipper truck physically can't pick up a couch, and a bulk loader truck can't handle large brush piles efficiently. If items are mixed (e.g., a couch dropped on top of a brush pile), the truck operator may not be able to safely collect either material, leading to skipped pickups. Maintain at least 5 feet of separation between piles for clarity. The separation also makes the entire system more efficient: faster routes, better material recovery, lower operational costs (which keeps the program free).
Why is Chattanooga's holiday schedule so simple?
Chattanooga has one of the simplest holiday schedules of any major U.S. city: ONLY Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day affect collection. All other federal holidays, New Year's Day, MLK Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, are normal collection days. The reasoning: Sanitation Workers are City employees on union schedules that work most federal holidays as part of normal duty rotation. This is significantly simpler than cities like Hartford (7+ holidays) or Boston (multiple delays). Knoxville has a similar 2-holiday schedule. The simplicity helps residents predict their pickup schedule reliably, just plan around Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks each year.
I live in an apartment building, can I use the bulk service?
Unfortunately no, the City of Chattanooga Brush & Bulky service is restricted to residential properties only and is NOT available to apartment complexes, businesses, or landlords. You or a relative must live at the address. Apartment buildings must contract with private haulers (Republic Services, GFL, WCA Waste, or others) for bulky waste pickup. Your options as a tenant in an apartment building: (1) Ask your property manager about building-wide bulky pickup arrangements. (2) Use donation programs (Salvation Army, Habitat, Goodwill, AIM Center) for items in good condition. (3) Self-haul to a Recycle Collection Center or the Household Hazardous Waste Facility for eligible items. (4) Use Best Buy for free electronics recycling. (5) Hire a paid hauler like LoadUp ($70+) for full-service pickup. Freemoval is actively expanding to multifamily properties, if your property manager wants to participate, they can contact us.
How do I qualify for Freemoval in Chattanooga?
Freemoval works through partner communities, typically affordable housing operators, public housing authorities, and select municipal partnerships. We’re actively expanding partnerships in Chattanooga through 2026, particularly relevant for the apartment buildings excluded from City Brush & Bulky service. If your property is part of the program, your property manager will provide a booking code. If you operate housing or work in a city department in Chattanooga, contact us to discuss adding your community.
How do I report illegal dumping in Chattanooga?
Call 311 at (423) 643-6311 or use the 311 mobile app. Reports can also be filed by emailing 311@chattanooga.gov. Include location, description of dumped material, and a photo if possible.
Is this page maintained?
Yes. Freemoval maintains this page as a public resource. We update it when programs change rules, fees, or contact methods. Last updated May 2026. If you find outdated information, let us know.
Freemoval is actively onboarding Chattanooga partner properties through 2026. Reach out to prioritize your community.
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