Nashville, TN Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Cardboard ban effective
- July 1, 2013
- Electronics ban effective
- July 1, 2015
- Hauler recycling requirement
- Effective July 1, 2013
- Scavenging recyclables
- Prohibited, § 10.20.110(D)
- Violation penalty
- Up to $50 per day
Summary
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.
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" such as but not limited to cereal boxes, tissue boxes, or shoe boxes.C.Effective July 1, 2015, no electronics waste as defined in this chapter shall be placed in solid waste containers nor collected and disposed with solid waste. (Ord. BL2010-718 § 1, 2010)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 53 | Charter: Republication 9).
Full Breakdown
Metro Nashville's waste management code bars corrugated cardboard (effective July 1, 2013) and electronic waste (effective July 1, 2015) from solid waste containers: both must go to recycling instead. Separately, any company holding a private collection permit to haul garbage must offer recycling service to its customers and may charge a reasonable fee, per Metropolitan Code of Laws § 10.20.105. Residents using the city's own municipal collection also get recycling pickup alongside trash under the container rules in § 10.20.110. Scavenging recyclables from any container within Metro's limits is a separate violation under § 10.20.110(D).
Violations & Fines
Violating the cardboard or electronics ban, or scavenging recyclables from a container, carries a fine of up to $50 per day under the waste management chapter's enforcement provision, § 10.20.090.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put cardboard boxes in my trash can in Nashville?
Does my trash hauler have to pick up recycling in Nashville?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Nashville
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