Davidson County, TN Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)

Metro Nashville provides curbside single-stream recycling bi-weekly (every other week) to Urban Services District residents through Metro Public Works in partnership with WastePro. Accepted materials per Metro Public Works recycling guide: paper (newspaper, magazines, office paper, junk mail), cardboard (flattened), glass bottles and jars (all colors), aluminum cans, steel cans, and plastics #1-#7 (bottles, jugs, tubs—wider than most cities). Not accepted: plastic bags, film plastics (return to grocery store), Styrofoam, food-soiled items, diapers, needles, textiles, batteries, or hazardous waste. Contaminated carts are tagged with an orange notice and skipped; repeat contamination (3+ times) may result in cart removal. Glass remains accepted curbside in Nashville, unusually—many Tennessee cities have eliminated curbside glass because of processing costs. Metro's Zero Waste Master Plan (adopted 2019) targets 90% diversion from landfill by 2050, up from the current ~24% municipal diversion rate. Tennessee has no statewide residential recycling mandate. General Services District (GSD) recycling is subscription-based through private haulers (Republic Services, WastePro, Waste Connections). Multi-family properties over 4 units are not required to recycle but increasingly do through commercial contracts. Yard waste and Christmas trees have separate collection: curbside during posted schedules or drop-off at Convenience Centers. Electronics recycled at Convenience Centers (not curbside). Metro runs the Zero Waste Zones program for commercial recycling in entertainment districts like the Gulch and Lower Broadway.