Collierville, TN Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

Section 152.404 of the Collierville Code of Ordinances, titled Dumping Prohibited, sits in the illicit discharge part of the stormwater chapter. It bars any person from dumping or otherwise depositing trash or garbage of any kind or description outside an authorized landfill, convenience center or other authorized garbage or trash collection point. The ban covers private and public property, occupied or unoccupied, anywhere inside the Town, so a vacant lot is protected exactly like a developed yard.

Two solid waste provisions in Chapter 50 reinforce it. Section 50.33 expressly prohibits disposal of refuse in any quantity, by any person, in any place public or private, other than at the sites designated by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen. Section 50.03 declares discharging, littering or disposal of refuse in a manner that is offensive or deleterious to public health, safety or welfare a public nuisance punishable by a fine of $50 per day, or to the fullest amount and extent allowed by law, and expressly prohibits causing refuse to be upon any street, sidewalk, alley, public park, greenbelt, square or other public place.

Enforcement of § 152.404 runs through the Town's Engineering/Development Department. Under § 152.403 the Town Engineer or a designee with proper credentials can enter and inspect properties at reasonable times after notifying the owner or representative on site, and without notice where discharges reasonably appear to threaten human health or the environment. Section 152.500 allows verbal warnings, written notices of violation and stop work orders, and the Town can seek an injunction against a continuing violation under § 152.505. Residents who need to get rid of bulky material can use the Town's yard waste collection under § 50.35 rather than leaving it on a roadside.