Trash & Recycling in Nashville, TN (2026)
10 verified trash & recycling rules for Nashville, Tennessee, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Metro Nashville picks up garbage and recyclables once a week from one- and two-family homes in the Urban Services District, with containers capped at 50 pounds and placed curbside only between 7 p.m. the night before and 7 p.m. on collection day.
Nashville Trash and Recycling Pickup Rules
Some RestrictionsMetropolitan Code of Laws § 10.20.220(A)
The department shall collect and dispose of garbage and rubbish once per week from one-family and two-family residences and the director shall determine by regulation the maximum amount thereof it will pick up each time. All garbage and rubbish shall be placed in containers approved by the director and no container's contents shall weigh more than fifty pounds; provided, however, these limits s...
Bin Placement Rules
Metro Nashville limits curbside garbage and recycling containers to a set window, 7 p.m. the night before collection to 7 p.m. on collection day, under Metropolitan Code of Laws § 10.20.110.
Nashville Trash Cart Set-Out Time Limits
Some RestrictionsMetropolitan Code of Laws § 10.20.110(A)
Containers may be placed for collection along public alleys, streets and sidewalks only between the hours of 7:00 p.m. on the day prior to the scheduled collection day and 7:00 p.m. on the scheduled collection day. At all other times, containers must be stored at a location at the rear or side of the premises or at a location approved by the Director so as to not be on a public street or within...
Bulk Item Disposal
Metro Nashville has no curbside pickup for furniture, appliances or tires: residents haul bulky waste to a Waste Services convenience center and pay a per-load fee set by ordinance, from $6 for a pickup truck to $4 per tire.
Nashville Bulky Waste Convenience Center Fees
Some RestrictionsMetropolitan Code of Laws § 10.20.365
Any person disposing of waste at a Convenience Center operated by the Metropolitan Government shall pay a fee ("Convenience Center Disposal Fee"). The Convenience Center Disposal Fee shall be as follows: Standard sized pickup trucks $6.00 per load / Standard sized pickup trucks with rails $12.00 per load / Small trailers $6.00 per load / Large trailers $12.00 per load / Tires with rims $4.00 each
Recycling Requirements
Metro Nashville requires every premises to keep lidded, director-approved containers for garbage and recyclables, set out only in a fixed evening window before collection.
Nashville Recycling Container Requirements
Some RestrictionsMetropolitan Code of Laws § 10.20.110
At all times, it shall be the duty of the owner of every premises where garbage is created or accumulated to keep or cause to be kept a sufficient number of containers approved by the director for the deposit of garbage and recyclables generated on the premises. Lids or covers must be provided for all such containers and they shall be kept tightly closed at all times... Containers may be placed...
Valet Trash Rules
Metro Nashville regulates valet trash and recycling pickup in apartment buildings by adopting the International Fire Code's Appendix O into its Fire Prevention Code, giving egress-safety rules for hallway trash staging the force of local law.
Valet Trash Collection Rules in Nashville
Some RestrictionsMetropolitan Code of Laws §§ 10.64.010, 10.64.012
The metropolitan government adopts the 2024 edition of the International Fire Code and the NFPA 101 Life Safety Code, as amended in this chapter, published by the International Code Council and National Fire Protection Association respectively, save and except those portions such as deleted, modified or amended below, to be applicable throughout the city. A copy of the International Fire Code, ...
Illegal Dumping
Metro Nashville bans dumping waste anywhere but an approved disposal facility or into someone else's private receptacle without permission, with fines running per day the violation continues.
Nashville Illegal Dumping Penalties
Significant RestrictionsMetropolitan Code of Laws § 10.20.130
A. It is unlawful for any person to dispose of or cause to be disposed any waste upon any property other than a disposal facility designated and approved by the metropolitan government. B. It is unlawful for any person to dispose of or cause to be disposed any waste in any private receptacle other than the person's own private receptacle or unless authorized to do so by the owner of the private...
Yard Waste Collection
Metro Nashville bans yard waste from garbage containers and only picks it up as curbside brush stockpiles under the Department of Public Works' brush collection service, per Metropolitan Code of Laws § 10.20.085.
Nashville Yard Waste Collection Rules
Some RestrictionsMetropolitan Code of Laws § 10.20.085
The brush collection service will only collect stockpiles of yard waste left at a location at the curb or the edge of the road or street or other locations approved by the director, provided, however, collection by the brush collection service may be in alleys when such alleys are utilized for collection of solid waste.C.No yard waste will be collected from private property or in an alley, exce...
Dumpster Rules
Metro Nashville bans emptying dumpsters near homes from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. and requires non-metal lids plus a one-inch owner label within 300 feet of residences.
Nashville Dumpster Collection Rules
Some RestrictionsMetropolitan Code of Laws § 10.20.072
No person shall empty or remove any containers used for the accumulation or handling of garbage or rubbish between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. when said containers are located within three hundred feet of any building or structure used for residential purposes... Any dumpster-type containers located within three hundred feet of any building or structure used for residential purposes m...
Collection Schedule
Metro Water Services picks up garbage and recyclables once a week for homes and apartments, but only inside the Urban Services District. GSD residents arrange their own private hauler.
Nashville Trash Collection Schedule
Some RestrictionsMetropolitan Code of Laws § 10.20.220
The department shall only pick up and dispose of garbage and rubbish, as well as recyclables, in the urban services district which has been placed in an adjacent alley, on an adjacent curb or on the side of a public road or street at locations approved by the department...A. One-family and two-family residences. The department shall collect and dispose of garbage and rubbish once per week from ...
Recycling Rules
Metro Nashville bans corrugated cardboard and electronics from trash containers, and every licensed waste hauler must offer curbside recycling service under the city's waste management code.
Nashville Recycling Rules: Banned Items
Some RestrictionsMetropolitan Code of Laws § 10.20.095 (see also § 10.20.105, § 10.20.110)
B.Effective July 1, 2013, corrugated cardboard and corrugated cardboard boxes shall not be placed in solid waste containers nor collected and disposed with solid waste; provided, however, that the following types of corrugated cardboard are not banned:1.Waxed cardboard;2.Greasy, oily, painted or contaminated cardboard;3.Cardboard adhered to foil, plastic or Styrofoam;4.Single layer "boxboard" s...