Trash & Recycling in Kingsport, TN (2026)
9 verified trash & recycling rules for Kingsport, Tennessee, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Kingsport collects household, yard and other waste only at or near a public street or alley improved with asphalt, concrete or sufficient gravel, as the public works director decides. Waste not placed as the code provides must be removed by the producer at his expense, and noncomplying containers are not emptied.
Kingsport Solid Waste Pickup Location Rules
Some RestrictionsKingsport Code § 86-29
(d)Except as provided in subsection (e) of this section, all solid waste, whether household waste, yard waste or other types of waste, shall only be placed for collection at or near a public street or alley that is improved by means of asphalt or concrete paving or by spreading of gravel of sufficient width and depth to provide support for the type of vehicle utilized to make such collections. ...
Bin Placement Rules
In the City of Kingsport, Tennessee, carts go to the curb or alley no sooner than 24 hours before pickup and come back within 24 hours after collection day. On residential property, carts must be stored behind the front building line, never in the front yard or on front porches where visible from a street.
Kingsport Trash Cart Set-Out and Storage Rules
Some RestrictionsKingsport Code §§ 86-29, 86-30
(c)The producer shall place automated residential containers and recycling containers adjacent to the alley or curbside facing the street properly and in the location designated by the director or designee no sooner than 24 hours before scheduled pickup. The producer shall remove all automated residential containers and recycling containers from the alley or curbside within 24 hours after the d...
Bulk Item Disposal
In the City of Kingsport, Tennessee, the city collects furniture and appliances from residences on an on-call basis: the producer calls the public works department. Refrigerators and freezers are refused unless the door has been removed, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen sets a fee billed monthly, and nonresidential producers dispose of such items at their own expense.
Kingsport Bulk Furniture and Appliance Collection Rules
Some RestrictionsKingsport Code § 86-37
(a)Furniture and appliances will be collected and removed from residences by the city on an on-call basis. The producer shall call the public works department to request that such items be picked up. However, the city shall not accept any refrigerator or freezer unless the door has been removed from such appliance. Furniture and appliances shall be placed on the producer's property adjacent to ...
Recycling Requirements
In the City of Kingsport, Tennessee, the producer sets recycling containers at the alley or curbside facing the street, in the location the director designates, no sooner than 24 hours before scheduled pickup. Containers must come back within 24 hours after the day of collection, and misplaced automated containers are not serviced.
Kingsport Curbside Recycling Container Placement Requirements
Some RestrictionsKingsport Code § 86-29
(c)The producer shall place automated residential containers and recycling containers adjacent to the alley or curbside facing the street properly and in the location designated by the director or designee no sooner than 24 hours before scheduled pickup. The producer shall remove all automated residential containers and recycling containers from the alley or curbside within 24 hours after the d...
Illegal Dumping
In the City of Kingsport, Tennessee, no one can throw or deposit litter on a street, sidewalk or other public place except in public receptacles, authorized private receptacles or official city dumps, and Sec. 38-307(d) bars dumping trash or garbage on any public or private property outside an authorized landfill or convenience center. Litter violations carry a penalty of not less than $25.00, and a judge can order cleanup instead.
Kingsport Illegal Dumping and Litter Penalties
Some RestrictionsKingsport Code §§ 38-20, 38-22, 38-307(d)
Any person who violates a section of this article shall be punished by a penalty of not less than $25.00 and not more than as provided in section 1-14. However, the judge in his discretion may allow an individual convicted of a violation of this article to remove the litter from a section of the state highway system or city street system in lieu of such penalty. ... No person shall throw or dep...
Yard Waste Collection
In the City of Kingsport, Tennessee, residential yard waste must be separated from other solid waste and is removed from each residence once every other week by the city. It can go in containers, plastic bags or lidless containers, or be stacked at the alley or curbside without obstructing traffic.
Kingsport Residential Yard Waste Collection Rules
Some RestrictionsKingsport Code § 86-35
(a)Residential yard waste shall be separated from other solid waste. Residential yard waste of suitable size may be placed in containers, as required for other solid waste, or placed in plastic bags or containers without lids or stacked adjacent to the alley or curbside in such a way as not to obstruct vehicular or pedestrian traffic or at such location as the director may designate.(b)Resident...
Dumpster Rules
In the City of Kingsport, Tennessee, businesses arrange dumpster and roll-off service privately with a permitted collector, and no solid waste container can sit in or on a public right-of-way without the express written consent of the director. Collectors must return emptied containers to the location they came from.
Kingsport Commercial Dumpster and Roll-Off Container Rules
Some RestrictionsKingsport Code § 86-73
(d)Solid waste containers shall not be placed in or upon public rights-of-way without the express written consent of the director.(e)Collection and removal of solid waste shall be made without disrupting or halting vehicular traffic.(f)The permittee shall not pick or sort solid waste while in the process of collection. If any spillage occurs during the transfer, the permittee shall clean the ar...
Collection Schedule
In the City of Kingsport, Tennessee, the city collects solid waste once each week from the curbside or alley, or another place the public works director designates. Waste goes in covered automated residential containers, with no more than four per residence or business. Weekly back yard pickup is an optional paid service.
Kingsport Weekly Residential Solid Waste Collection
Some RestrictionsKingsport Code § 86-29
(a)Solid waste to be collected by the city shall be placed by the producer in automated residential containers, which shall be covered at all times except when being emptied or filled. Such containers shall be furnished and kept in good repair by the producer. The producer shall have a sufficient number of automated residential containers to hold one week's accumulation of solid waste, but not ...
Recycling Rules
The City of Kingsport, Tennessee encourages every resident to separate newspapers, glass bottles, aluminum and steel cans, used oil and approved plastic bottles from other solid waste and to use the approved containers the city supplies. The one mandatory line in the section is that recyclable materials shall not be placed in plastic bags.
Kingsport Recycling Rules for Residents
Light RestrictionsKingsport Code § 86-34
Every resident is encouraged to separate recyclable material (newspapers, glass bottles, alumi- num and steel cans, used oil and plastic bottles of approved types) from all other solid waste and place such recyclable materials in approved containers supplied by the city. Recyclable materials shall not be placed in plastic bags.
Looking for Sullivan County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Kingsport city rules.
Trash & Recycling in Sullivan County →