Brush Pickup is for residential customers only. The City of Athens will not pick up brush from commercial properties, rental properties, or contractors that have been hired to trim trees.

Brush is now picked up on a bi-weekly route schedule. Under the new schedule, streets north of Highway 30 will be collected on the first and third full weeks of the month. Streets south of Highway 30 will be collected the second and fourth full weeks of the month. Brush needs to be free of debris and placed three to five feet from the edge of the road by 7:00 AM on Monday of the scheduled week.

This service is free of charge up to a brush trailer-size load. If the brush is a brush trailer-size or more, there will be an automatic $300.00 charge per load. A brush trailer load is measured as twenty-seven (27) cubic yards or 20 ft. x 8 ft. x 4.5 ft.

If you have any questions, please contact  (423) 744-2745 or email  Public Works.

Large Item Pickup is for residential customers only. The City of Athens will not pick up items from commercial properties or rental properties.

Brush left out for pickup should be kept separate.

Large items are picked up on a set biweekly route schedule. Under the new schedule, streets north of Highway 30/Decatur Pike will be collected on the first and third full weeks of the month. Streets south of Highway 30/Decatur Pike will be collected the second and fourth full weeks of the month. Large items should be placed three to five feet from the edge of the road by 7:00 AM Monday of the scheduled week in order to ensure pick-up.

This service is free of charge up to a brush trailer-size load. If the brush is a brush trailer-size or more, there will be an automatic $300 charge per load. A brush trailer load is measured as twenty-seven (27) cubic yards or 20 ft. x 8 ft. x 4.5 ft.

• Furniture
• Mattresses and box springs
• Large toys, like basketball goals or ride on cars

• No boxes or bags of household items
• Limbs over eight (8) inches in diameter
• Hot Ashes
• Food Waste
• Cross Ties
• Automobile Parts: batteries, transformers, automobile fuel tanks, tires or any large automobile parts
• Combustible Items: gas, oil, paint, lacquer thinner, pesticides, or empty paint/thinner cans
• Building Materials: boards, shingles, lumber, concrete, blocks, rocks, bricks, asbestos, insulation, sheet rock
• Dirt, gravel, or fill materials
• Appliances with compressor still intact (compressors must be professionally removed prior to pick up)
• Household Garbage (including clothes)
• Recyclable Materials: cardboard, paper products, magazines. To dispose of recyclable materials visit the City’s Recycling Center.

If you have any questions, please contact  (423) 744-2745 or email  Public Works.

Public Works crews will be starting leaf collection on or about the First of November each year. Residents in Zone 6 should have their leaves curbside for collection the weekend prior to crews starting the route. Residents can also bag leaves and place them 3 to 5 feet from the edge of pavement and crews will collect them on the regularly scheduled regular brush and junk routes. Residents in later zones for collection will experience quicker service this way if they do not wish to wait for loose leaf collection in their respective zones.

If you would like your leaves collected, please rake them 3 to 5 feet from the edge of the road and 3 to 5 feet away from any obstacles (mailboxes, trees, fences, poles, yard decorations and vehicles). Leaf piles too close to obstructions will not be picked up by leaf crews because doing so could result in property or equipment damage. Additionally, do not rake leaves over underground utilities such as water meter valve covers, etc., as this may also result in damage to utilities or equipment, which ultimately cause delays in service for residents.

Do not place any leaves in the road, in ditches or on sidewalks. In areas where there are sidewalks leaves should be placed behind the sidewalk and crews will collect them from there.

Please do not rake leaves into roadways. Doing so creates driving hazards by narrowing the width of travel lanes and makes travel lanes slick during rain events. It may also clog storm drains and pipes and can lead to localized flooding.

Leaf crews will be working in specified zones throughout the city. Once a zone is completed the crews will move to the next zone in sequential order. Once crews complete all zones they will start back at the first zone denoted on the calendar and go through all zones a second time. Crews are not able to pick up leaves on a call-in basis until two full cycles of the route have been completed.