The City of Knoxville Public Service Department will be suspending their brush collection routes for one week starting Monday, March 7, 2011 in order to assist households affected by Monday's flood event with the collection of flood damaged debris and materials.

Flood damage debris will only be collected in affected areas starting on Monday, March 7 and ending on Friday, March 11. Materials and debris damaged by the Monday's flood should be placed at the property line (curb or alley) of the affected residential household for collection by City Public Service crews. Debris piles should not block sidewalks, ditches or streets and should be accessible by the City's hydraulic grapple-style collection machinery.

This special collection is only for households. It does not include commercial or industrial businesses.

The City's household garbage contractor Waste Connections will continue their normal collection of household garbage and bulky waste items. Flood affected residents should continue to use this service for normal household garbage disposal and should not place household garbage in flood debris piles for collection during next week's flood collection.

Materials not acceptable for collection by Public Service include household garbage or household bulky waste items, non-flood damaged materials, debris derived from commercial businesses, hazardous chemicals, household cleaners, paint cans, tires and other materials as determined by the City. The City has the sole discretion not to collect materials deemed inappropriate for this limited emergency response service.

In addition to next week's debris collection activity, residents also have a number of other options for disposal of flood related debris including:

Transporting and disposing of the debris to the Public Service Department's Solid Waste Management Facility (SWMF), also known as the Transfer Station. This Saturday is "Amnesty Saturday" which means City residents only may dispose of flood debris, garbage and construction demolition debris free of charge. Due to high volumes, no commercial vehicles and no vehicles from outside of Knox County are accepted on Amnesty Saturday.

Bagging debris and placing in up to four thirty two (32) gallon cans for collection each week by the City's household garbage collection contractor Waste Connections.

Placing up to five bulky waste items out with their household garbage each week for collection by the City's household garbage collection contractor Waste Connections. Bulky waste items include appliances, furniture, tires, carpet that is bundled and tied in 4 to 6 sections, bags of clothing and other items that do not fit into a standard 32-gallon garbage can.

"Obviously, Monday's flood event has adversely affected a number of customers," says David Brace, Deputy Director for the Public Service Department. "Assisting residents with flood-damaged debris removal is absolutely the right thing to do and we're modifying our normal schedules to extend a helping hand."

The City of Knoxville Public Service Department (PSD) is comprised of 304 employees with a total annual budget of nearly $32 million. The PSD provides many of the services utilized by City residents on a day-to-day basis including household garbage collection, brush and leaf collection, street repairs (potholes), snow/ice removal, maintenance of nearly all City parks and recreation facilities, and downtown and the implementation of all special events. The PSD has a proud history and strives to meet the continual flow of needs and requests received by the 311 and City on a daily basis.