Smyrna, TN Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)

Section 17-108 of the Smyrna Municipal Code sets the terms of the town's chipper service. Residential citizens within the corporate limits get the service free. Tree trimmings, hedge clippings, and similar materials cannot exceed six inches in diameter or ten feet in length, and a pile of brush can be no larger than ten feet by ten feet. The chipper does not pick up vines, loose leaves, or root balls. Leaves the crew collects must be placed only in biodegradable bags. Everything set out for pickup goes within four feet of the edge of the road and has to meet the size requirements in the section.

The section also says what cannot go in a pile or bag. It is unlawful to include building materials, plastic, metal, wire, cardboard, paper, glass, or other trash or refuse. A mixed pile is a violation, not just a reason for the crew to skip it.

Burning is a separate route governed by Title 7, Chapter 5, which Ordinance No. 26-24 adopted on 6-9-2026. No open burning is permitted within the town without a permit, and a permit can be issued at no charge for destroying leaves, grass, and other natural vegetation that has been cut and stacked or raked as a result of yard clean-up. Applicants contact the town's Fire Department, which can impose conditions on the burn location, materials, time, and safety equipment. Under § 7-505.2, residential yard waste burning requires a permit and a property of at least three acres. The burn area must be at least fifty feet from any structure or combustible material and at least one hundred feet from any adjacent property containing a residence or occupied structure. Only leaves and tree limbs originating from the property can be burned, and burning occurs only between 8:00 a.m. and dusk with the fire constantly attended until extinguished. The Fire Chief or a designee can forbid, restrict, or suspend burning when weather or other conditions are unfavorable or hazardous.