We are confronted with rules and regulations from the moment we wake up to the moment we go back to bed. That’s all part of living in an orderly society. Without those rules there would be chaos in the streets both literally and figuratively. One set of rules provided by the Chattanooga City Council actually covers something we all take for granted and that is trash collection. You might think there really aren’t any rules. All you have to do is put the trash out on the appointed day and it gets picked up. No harm, no foul, right? Not quite.

For instance, according to the official Chattanooga Public Works department, you need to have your trash containers out on the curb by 7:00 am on pickup day. It is also illegal for trash cans to stay on the street after collection day. Yes, you read that right: it’s illegal which means you could be sited and fined. The Public Works department also recommends that you put all your garbage in heavy-duty plastic bags and tie them up tight to prevent any critters from crawling in. The main reason for that is trash hauling crews aren’t going to pick up any spills. That all makes sense. But wait, there’s more!

Any piece of trash that could pose a health or safety risk for the garbage crew or even your neighbors won’t be picked up. This means things like unused paint, pesticides, battery acid or any kind of “radioactive substances.” (Yes, we all have a lot of that!). Household hazardous materials have to be taken to the official Chattanooga waste facility.

As far as yard waste is concerned, you can put some twigs or brush in your garbage can but grass has to be bagged up. Here’s where they get really specific. From the Public Works website: “Do not place garbage on the ground or on top of an automated container. Do not overfill automated containers. Lids must be closed completely. The arrows on the lid and front of the container must point towards the street. The wheels and handles should be next to the curb. Containers must be within 2 ft. from the curb, at least 3 ft. from the obstruction, and 20 ft. from vehicles parked along the street.” Got that? You probably never thought you would need a tape measure to take out your trash.

Of course we all follow the garbage rules like the good citizens that we are. But what happens when you’ve got trash that won’t fit into a container? That’s when you might have to step outside of the Public Works department and hire your own Chattanooga  trash pickup service.  Fortunately, there is a crew of professional junk haulers based in Chattanooga who can pickup your large trash items and are just a phone call away – Junk King.  This probably won’t be a once a week pickup, but if you plan ahead you could certainly get rid of a lot of junk with one scheduled pickup. Are you ready to clean out the clutter of your life?  Simply call 1-888-888-JUNK.