Streets

mailto:nmcvay@citybellemeade.orgServices

Brush Collection and Chipper Service

Chipper Service is contracted separately from garbage pick-up and occurs on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of each week. The chipper service is designed for pickup of grass, shrubbery, cuttings, tree leaves, small tree branches, bushes, fruits, or any other matter usually created in the care of lawns and gardens. Tree trimmings shall have a trunk not to exceed four (4) inches in diameter, and shall be no more than eight (8) feet in length or six (6) feet across in the lap or crown.

Twigs, leaves, small debris, and grass clippings shall be bagged, bag weight not to exceed 50 pounds.  Use brown, kraft paper bags, like the one pictured below, specifically for yard waste and clippings.  Please no plastic bags.

Trash

Back door garbage pickup is provided once a week on Monday or Tuesday, depending on your street location. All solid waste garbage and trash shall be collected from standard containers (any watertight metal or plastic container with handles or bails, having a tight-fitting cover. Each residence may have up to six (6) 32-gallon containers OR two (2) 96-gallon wheeled toters OR a combination of the two types of containers that do not exceed a total of 192 gallons and should be placed at the back door of residences or at a place designated by the resident that is accessible from the driveway, as long as they are not in an enclosed garage or other building. The City requires trash to be put in BLACK or WHITE bags so as not to confuse it with the recycle waste in BLUE bags. Be sure all waste and recyclables are inside the cans or it will not be picked up.

Recyclables

Recyclables are picked up on the same day as your trash service. Your recycle container, which can be purchased from the City for $30 a can, must be lined with a BLUE plastic bag – no exceptions! You can put all accepted items, as listed below, in the recycle container together, unbagged, except glass. We are not recycling glass at this time. Please rinse cans before putting them in your container, as some materials may sit in your container for a week. To maximize the use of your container, you will want to break down all large cardboard boxes and set them beside your container. Click here for more details about what to recycle.

• PAPER – office paper, magazines, junk mail, newspaper, computer paper, notebook paper phone books, paperback books, construction paper, brown paper bags.
• BOXES – milk or juice cartons (empty), paperboard boxes, food boxes (clean – no food). All large cardboard boxes should be broken down and brought to the cardboard recycle container behind city hall.
• PLASTICS– #1-7: drink bottles and their caps, detergent & cleaner bottles and their caps, yogurt/cottage cheese and other dairy “tubs” and their lids (please empty containers) and plastic trays, such as the lunchable type containers (any color except black trays – optical sorting machines can’t see them).
• METAL/ALUMINUM CANS – empty food and drink cans, foils and trays.

DO NOT RECYCLE: Glass, plastic shopping bags, black plastic trays, clamshells (fast food take out), Styrofoam, paint cans, aerosol cans, egg cartons.

Click here for a list of Metro Nashville Recycling Centers where you can take glass for recycling.

Trash & Recycle Collection Days

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Access to Dumpsters Behind City Hall

• Dumpsters are open to residents from sunrise to sundown, 7 days a week. If there are times when all three dumpsters are full, we will close them off until the trash contractor can empty them.
• The access door to the dumpsters will remain locked at all times. Residents should press the call button on the intercom located at the access door and show a valid government issued ID. The dispatcher in the police department will be able to view your ID to verify that you are a Belle Meade resident before unlocking the door.
• If you regularly send someone else to the dumpsters, such as hired staff, you will need to call City Hall and give us the name of the person who works for you. We will maintain a list of these folks, and they will have to show their ID before being allowed access to the dumpsters.
• Please be aware of the signage posted at the dumpster area indicating what items are not accepted at this site. Household discards such as toys, broken items or items too large to fit inside your weekly trash receptacle may be placed in the three dumpsters located directly behind City Hall. Items such as paint cans, batteries, yard waste, mattresses, electronics, furniture, and construction debris CANNOT be placed in these dumpsters.
• Some items will have to be taken to one of four Metro Public Works convenience centers that accept all recyclables, bulky items and household trash. To learn more, visit Recycling and Waste Items Convenience Centers

Rules for Paint Disposal

Latex paint and stains can be safely be put in the garbage for disposal at a landfill, as long as the paint is dry or solidified first. Dumped illegally, liquid latex paint can be a hazard by plugging or damaging septic fields, overloading sewage treatment plants and creating environmental hazards on the ground. Residents should dry out latex paint and stains and put it in the garbage with the lid off. To learn more about methods for proper paint disposal, click here.

Note:  Yard waste, included bagged leaves or grass clippings, gathered and left behind by a private contractor will not be collected by the City’s service. Homeowners and/or the contractor must dispose of these materials. If a homeowner has contracted with a tree removal service to cut down large trees on their property, or the homeowner cuts down large trees, the homeowner is responsible for removal of the tree and related debris. The City chipper service is not set up to provide this service. Your pickup day will depend on which street you live.

Brush Collection and Chipper Service Route

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Snow & Ice Removal Policy

The Public Works Department has the responsibility for snow and ice removal on City streets. The snow and ice removal is performed by a private service who is under contract with the City. The Public Works Director (PWD) is responsible for direct supervision of the contractor’s crew while they are in the City.

The City reserves the right to modify this snow and ice removal policy at any time or for any storm event depending upon, but not limited to, the weather conditions, intensity/duration of the storm, and accumulation of snow and/or ice.

• Download a printable version of the policy here.
• See a map of the areas to be treated initially here.

Please refer comments or questions about the Snow & Ice Removal Policy to:

Nathan McVay, Public Works Director
615-297-6041
nmcvay@citybellemeade.org

Jennifer Moody, City Manager
615-297-6041
jmoody@citybellemeade.org

Permit to Cut Streets

A permit is required any time excavation in the R-O-W or in the paved area of the street is to be done.  There is a fee for this permit.  For questions, please contact the Public Works Director.

Click to open a fillable form or print the Permit for Street Cut and R-O-W Excavation