Most people searching for the Chattanooga dump want one of three places: a recycling center, a bulky-trash drop-off, or the landfill on Birchwood Pike. They are three different facilities with different hours, different rules and different people allowed in.
Everything below comes from the City of Chattanooga's own waste and recycling pages, read on October 13, 2026. At the end there is an honest look at when hauling it yourself makes sense and when it does not.
Which Chattanooga Drop-Off Takes What?
| Place | What it is for | Who can use it |
|---|---|---|
| Recycle Centers (5 locations) | Aluminum cans, cardboard, glass, mixed paper, newspaper, number 1 and 2 plastic, steel cans, computer electronics, cooking oil | Hamilton County residents are allowed to use the recycle centers |
| Refuse Collection Centers (3 locations) | Bulky household trash: furniture, appliances, mattresses, lumber, metal | City of Chattanooga residents only, with Hamilton County tags. No contractors, businesses or landlords |
| City Landfill, 9327 Birchwood Pike, Harrison | Household garbage. Fees apply to non-residents | Free for city residents with household garbage from their primary residence, in nothing larger than a pickup truck |
| Household Hazardous Waste Facility | Hazardous household products. Ask the City what is accepted before you load the car | Free to any Hamilton County resident |
If you only have a car trunk of cans and cardboard, the recycle center is the answer. If you have a couch, it is not, and a recycling center will turn it away.
Where Are the Chattanooga Recycling Centers and What Are Their Hours?
The City lists five recycle centers: 5955 Brainerd Road, 1250 E. 3rd Street, 3189 Cummings Hwy, 8004 Batters Place Road and 4504 N. Access Road. Hamilton County residents are allowed to use them.
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday | 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. |
| Saturday | 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. |
| Sunday | 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
| Monday | Closed |
The centers are also closed on New Year's Day, Martin Luther King's Birthday, Good Friday, Easter, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving Day, the Friday after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
What they take
Aluminum cans, cardboard, computer electronics, glass, mixed paper, newspaper, number 1 and 2 plastic containers (rinse food containers), steel cans (rinse food containers) and cooking oil. Cooking oil is not taken at Batters Place Rd.
What they do not take
Clothes, plastic bags, DVD players, Styrofoam, non-computer electronics, televisions, fluorescent bulbs, VCRs, food, yard waste and large toys. The City also says the market is extremely low for plastics 3 through 7, so those are not accepted in curbside bins or at the centers.
Where Can You Take Bulky Trash in Chattanooga?
The City runs three Refuse Collection Centers for bulky household items: 4276 Airport Road, 4500 North Access Road and 1400 West 57th Street. They keep the same hours as the recycle centers: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday is 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday is 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and they are closed Monday.
These are not open to everyone. The City's guidelines say:
- No contractors, businesses or landlords.
- No tandem axle trailers, dump bodies, or trucks larger than a standard pickup truck, and the load cannot exceed a standard truck bed.
- Residents can dispose of material up to 12 times a calendar year, and the driver needs a valid driver's license showing City of Chattanooga residency.
- Valid Hamilton County tags are required, and commercial tags do not count.
- Residents are limited to 8 bags per visit, and the attendant can refuse your load.
On the accepted list: appliances, mattresses, BBQ grills, microwaves, clothes, metal, drywall (max 1 truck), tires (max 4, auto only), furniture, toys, landscape timbers, vinyl and lumber. Not accepted: concrete, roofing materials, tile, insulation, asphalt, dirt, rock, brick or block, brush and leaves, household garbage, paint, batteries, propane tanks, small engines, cardboard, pallets and more. The City notes the list is not all-inclusive.
What Does the Landfill on Birchwood Pike Take, and What Does It Cost?
The City Landfill is at 9327 Birchwood Pike in Harrison. It is free for city residents to dispose of household garbage from their primary residence, in nothing larger than a pickup truck. Residents need a driver's license with the current address, or a current utility bill in the same name as the license.
| Landfill detail | What the City lists |
|---|---|
| Hours | Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. |
| Garbage | The fee is $40 per ton, with a $30.50 minimum charge |
| Special waste (permit required) | The fee is $40 per ton, with a $95 minimum charge |
| Non-city residents | The fee is $2 per bag up to 15 bags, then tipping fees apply with a $30.50 minimum |
| Payment | Checks, credit card and money order. No cash or coin |
City residents may not use the City Landfill for construction and demolition waste such as building material, dirt, block, rock or wood waste, or for bulky items like appliances, furniture, clothes, pallets or metal. All loads on trucks must be tarped, uncovered material is not accepted, and the landfill does not take batteries, gas tanks or flammable liquids.
The City page also says Birchwood II, LLC operates the adjacent private construction and demolition landfill. It lists no fees or hours for that one, so call that operator before you load anything for it. The Household Hazardous Waste Facility is free to any Hamilton County resident.
Searching for the Hamilton County landfill? The landfill the City lists for residents is this one. If you need a rule that is not on the City page, ask the facility directly.
Should You Haul It Yourself or Have a Crew Do It?
Hauling it yourself is cheaper in cash when the load is small, it is all one kind of material, you own a pickup, and you live in the city. Plenty of loads are not that.
| Factor | Haul it yourself | Crew does it |
|---|---|---|
| Cash cost | Lowest. A resident's household garbage at the City landfill is free | You pay for the removal, based on how much space the load takes in the truck |
| Your time | Loading, driving, waiting, unloading, and often more than one stop | A pickup window, then it is gone |
| Mixed loads | Recyclables, bulky trash and garbage go to different places on different hours | One truck, one stop at your place |
| Rules | Tags, residency proof, load limits, and the attendant can refuse a load | None of that is yours to manage |
| Stairs and heavy items | Your back and a helper | The crew carries it |
| Contractors, landlords, businesses | Not allowed at the City refuse centers | This is the usual route |
A crew makes sense when the load is more than a pickup bed, when it mixes recyclables with bulky pieces and garbage, when it is up a flight of stairs, or when you are a landlord, contractor or business, because those are exactly the groups the City refuse centers turn away. The junk removal crew prices by the space your load takes in the truck, and the cost page explains the load sizes. You get an upfront estimate before any work starts.
If the pile is big enough that you would rather keep a container in the driveway, compare dumpster rental and junk removal. Old mattresses have their own rundown on the mattress disposal page.
Verify Before You Go
Hours, fees and rules change, and holiday closures are easy to miss. Check the City's current pages before you load the truck:
- City of Chattanooga Recycle Centers
- City of Chattanooga Refuse Collection Centers
- City of Chattanooga Landfill
This page was checked against the City's pages on October 13, 2026 and is not an official City source.