City of Tullahoma is Temporarily Suspending Residential Curbside and Drop-off Recycling Programs

Beginning Monday, April 13th, the City of Tullahoma will no longer collect residential or commercial recycling items that must be directly picked up by hand and will suspend garbage cart fees for residents that request a second cart during the COVID-19 emergency.

Due to the impact of Coronavirus on the city’s public service employees and as an additional precaution in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the City of Tullahoma is temporarily suspending residential curbside and drop-off recycling programs, commercial cardboard recycling requiring hand-pick up, and residential bulk item collection.  In addition, there may be delays in the collection of yard waste as we implement alternate work schedules in order to enforce policies, such as social distancing, to reduce the spread of the virus.

Several communities across the country have temporarily cut programs as the pandemic ramps up. To the extent possible, the City will prioritize garbage collection above recycling, bulky item pick up, yard waste collection and other services.

These measures may be effective in helping us “bend the curve” of the virus in our community.  We appreciate your support and understanding as we know everyone is working hard to prevent exposure during this pandemic.

CURBSIDE RECYCLING

• Curbside recycling collection is suspended beginning Monday, April 13, 2020.
• Because the virus can spread from person-to-person contact and because curbside recycling pickup requires sorting by hand, this service is being suspended to avoid potential spread of this virus while directly handling various materials.

GARBAGE

• With children home from school, citizens staying at home, and ordering take-out rather than dining in restaurants, there has been an increase in household garbage to collect.
• In order to provide some relief, the City will deliver an additional garbage cart by request to residents and will be temporarily suspending the cost of carts for residential customers. To request a cart, please contact Tullahoma Public Works at 931-454-1768.
• In order to limit our drivers possible exposure during this time, Public Works employees will not hand-pick any bags or items that are outside of the cart. All garbage must be bagged and completely inside the cart provided so that it can be emptied by the arm of the truck. Any bags or bundles outside of carts will not be collected in order to minimize the risk of exposure through pickup by hand.
• Additionally, residents are reminded that they must leave 3 feet of distance between carts so that they can be picked up and set down by the arm of the truck.

YARD WASTE & GRASS CLIPPINGS

• Collection of yard waste typically requires having two people in a truck together all day, and under the present conditions, we want to avoid that whenever possible.
• Ideally, we would prefer to have only one in each truck during this time and we would like them to reduce getting out of the truck as much as possible.
• This is a difficult decision, as this is frequently a heavy yard waste season, but public safety and the safety of our employees must come first.

We regret any inconvenience this causes and ask the citizens for your cooperation as we face this unprecedented crisis in our city and nation’s history.  We hope to limit these temporary interruptions in service to only what is necessary to maintain the health and safety of our public service employees.

The Tullahoma public works convenience center, community centers, animal shelter, and public lobbies remain closed through April 26th.  City pavilions, playgrounds, and ball fields located in city parks are also closed.

These measures are necessary in response to COVID-19 and normal services will resume once the pandemic is over.