For four months, City officials have been talking about the benefits of the new 60,000 wheeled trash carts and how they're a key component in modernizing and improving the City’s household garbage collection.

Going to a citywide system that uses standardized trash receptacles increases the efficiency, safety, health and aesthetic aspects of residential garbage collection, says Chad Weth, the City’s Public Service Director. The more efficient trash collection saves taxpayers nearly $2 million a year on garbage collection.

As residents who have watched the Waste Connections trucks in action already know, their mechanized arms hoist the receptacles and dump the trash into the garbage trucks.

"This significantly reduces injuries and improves the quality of work for garbage collectors,” Weth says.

Since Jan. 1, the City and Waste Connections have been working with residents to transition into the new trash collection system. The guidelines are simple: Set out the cart within a few feet of the sidewalk or street, away from any obstacles. And be sure to put all garbage bags inside the cart and close the lid.

Check out the two videos below. In the first one, residents have properly set out their trash carts, and the collection is quick and efficient. In the second video, the Waste Connections employee has to manually grapple with trash that's left outside the wheeled cart - potentially putting the truck behind schedule on pickups and putting the employee at greater risk of injury.





​Starting this month, Waste Connections crews may stop collecting trash that's piled outside of the standardized receptacles and will notify the resident that he or she is setting trash out in a way that makes standard collection impossible.

"The new collection process is slightly different but makes trash collection easier for everybody," Weth says. "If residents aren't sure they're setting their trash carts out the right way, we want them to call 311, or visit our website, www.knoxvilletn.gov/garbage."

Part of the new garbage collection system requires each household to fit all its trash into the City-issued trash cart. If you are having a hard time keeping your trash to one 95-gallon cart every week, you do have options:

- Enroll in the City's curbside recycling program. This allows you to divert recyclable material out of your garbage cart. Call 311 to sign up for recycling or for directions to the nearest drop-off center for recyclables.

- You can obtain an additional cart through Waste Connections at a monthly subscription fee. Call 865-522-8161, Ext. 2, for details.

- Cleaning out the basement and know your discards won’t fit into the 95-gallon cart? The first Saturday of every month (unless it's a holiday weekend) is free for City residents at the transfer station, 1033 Elm St. This facility is open 6 days per week but does charge a fee per ton on all other days. You can also take difficult-to-recycle items like carpet and refrigerators here.