Next month, the city of Chattanooga will go back to using an old brush collection process to catch up on delays.
Starting Nov. 3, brush and bulk trash will be collected automatically by area, rather than through individual requests for pick-up through 311, the city’s catch-all phone line, app and web portal to direct resident requests to the right city department. Brush collection is typically the most requested service through 311, according to call data.
The city used a similar zone-based system for brush collection up until 2024, when it switched to requiring individual 311 requests.
The new system divides the city into four areas, assigning each area a week in the month. Brush and bulk trash collection vehicles — separate trucks, the press release noted, requiring residents to still divide brush from bulk trash — will drive the area street by street and collect everything set out on the curb for pick-up. Brush and bulk trash must be separate from other items and 5 feet away from cars, mailboxes and other objects.
A press release described the new system as a “recovery plan,” in reference to a backlog of requests that numbered in the thousands earlier this month. The city’s Public Works Department typically works through 520 brush pick-up requests a day on average, according to department spokesperson Errol Williams, which means the backlog represents a week’s delay.
The delay has been caused by peak season demand, software transitions and staffing shortages, according to the press release.
See the areas and their assigned weeks here:
— Week one (Nov. 3–7): Lookout Valley, St. Elmo, Alton Park
— Week two (Nov. 10–14): North Chattanooga, Hixson
— Week three (Nov. 17–21): Brainerd, East Chattanooga
— Week four (Nov. 24–28): East Brainerd, Highway 58
A map where you can type in a specific address and view the brush and bulk trash schedule for your area can be found on the city’s website.
— Compiled by Siena Duncan.