Wood Recycling in City Chattanooga: Drop-Off Hours, Pay Rates
Use this Chattanooga wood recycling guide before loading brush, limbs, leaves, natural wood, contractor debris, or a trailer. It explains the official Wood Recycling Center hours, last vehicle cut-off, city-resident disposal rule, non-city and contractor pay rate, mulch pickup rules, rejected-load reasons, curbside brush alternatives, and what to do when your material is not clean wood waste.
Fast Answer: Chattanooga Wood Recycling Center
The City of Chattanooga Wood Recycling Center is at 4063 North Hawthorne Street, Chattanooga, TN 37406. The listed operating schedule is Monday through Saturday from 8:00 AM to 3:50 PM. The final vehicle is received at 3:50 PM so unloading and end-of-day close-out can be completed.
City of Chattanooga residents are listed at no charge for acceptable wood waste when the load follows the city’s free-disposal guideline. Non-city residents, businesses, and contractors are listed at $20.00 per ton. Accepted payment types are checks, credit card, and money order. The city lists no cash or coin.
Official Screenshot Guide: Hours, Rates and Wood Waste Rules
The screenshot is placed here because the main search intent is practical: users need to confirm the official facility page, hours, pay rate, accepted materials, rejected materials, and mulch rules before driving. Use it as a visual reference only, not as a live open-status claim.
Image description: this visual reference helps readers recognize where the official Chattanooga Wood Recycling Center page shows hours, fees, accepted items, rejected materials and mulch pickup rules. It does not prove that the facility is open right now.
Chattanooga Wood Recycling Center Hours and Holiday Closures
The official posted hours are Monday-Saturday, 8:00 AM-3:50 PM. The last vehicle time matters because the facility must allow time for unloading and close-out. For a heavy truck, trailer, or mixed load that may need staff review, arriving close to 3:50 PM is a bad plan.
| User Question | Officially Listed Answer | Practical Chattanooga Tip |
|---|---|---|
| What are the hours? | Monday-Saturday, 8:00 AM-3:50 PM. | For trailers, bulky limbs, or first-time visits, plan to arrive before 3:30 PM. |
| Is it open on Sunday? | Sunday is not listed as an operating day. | Use Monday-Saturday only, except listed city holidays and service notices. |
| What is the last vehicle time? | The last vehicle is received at 3:50 PM. | Do not arrive at 3:50 PM expecting time to untie, sort, ask questions, and unload slowly. |
| Which holidays are closed? | Closed on New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, July 4th, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas. | During holiday weeks, verify the official page before loading a truck or trailer. |
Wood Recycling Center Pay Rates, Fees and Payment Types
The official rate depends on who is using the facility and whether the load qualifies. City residents with acceptable wood waste are listed at no charge under the free-disposal guideline. Non-city residents, businesses, and contractors are listed at $20.00 per ton.
| User Type | Listed Cost | What It Means Before You Go |
|---|---|---|
| City of Chattanooga resident | No charge for acceptable wood waste under the city’s free-disposal guideline. | The load still must be acceptable wood waste. Free does not mean every wood-like material qualifies. |
| Non-city resident | $20.00 per ton. | Living near Chattanooga is not the same as being a City of Chattanooga resident. |
| Business | $20.00 per ton. | Commercial yard and wood waste is treated differently from eligible residential loads. |
| Contractor | $20.00 per ton. | Job-site, landscape, tree-service, and land-clearing loads should be treated as paid loads unless the city confirms otherwise. |
| Payment types | Checks, credit card, and money order. No cash or coin. | Do not arrive with cash only. Bring an accepted payment method before weighing in. |
Free Disposal Rules for City of Chattanooga Residents
The free-disposal rule is specific. The city says there is no charge for City of Chattanooga residents to dispose of acceptable wood waste in a standard-size pickup truck or single-axle trailer. City crews do not unload wood from trucks or trailers.
Accepted Materials: What You Can Bring
The Wood Recycling Center is for clean natural yard and wood waste. The official accepted-materials list includes raw natural wood, brush, and leaves. This does not include every board, pallet, stump, or demolition item that looks like wood.
| Material | Likely Answer | Preparation Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Tree limbs | Accepted if they are natural wood and within the listed size rules. | Cut large limbs down before loading so unloading is faster and safer. |
| Brush | Accepted as natural wood waste. | Stack brush in one direction and keep it separate from trash, bags, and construction debris. |
| Leaves | Accepted as listed by the city. | Keep leaves free from rocks, dirt, plastic bags, and household trash. |
| Raw natural wood | Accepted. | Do not mix it with treated, glued, painted, nailed, or manufactured wood products. |
Not Accepted: Materials That Can Get Your Load Rejected
The Wood Recycling Center is not a general dump for all wood-looking material. The official non-acceptable list includes treated lumber, pallets, glued wood, root balls and stumps, wood with nails, dirt and rocks, paneling, plywood, trash, painted wood, material larger than 10 feet in length, railroad ties, and material larger than 5 feet in diameter.
Free Mulch Pickup Rules for Chattanooga Residents
Mulch is listed at no charge to City of Chattanooga residents when a valid driver’s license is presented. The city says crews will load mulch into trucks or trailers for city residents, but the mulch must be covered when leaving the facility.
| Mulch Question | Listed Rule | Practical Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Who gets free mulch? | City of Chattanooga residents with a valid driver’s license. | Bring your license every time. Do not assume staff can verify you without it. |
| Who loads mulch? | Crews will load mulch into trucks or trailers for city residents. | Arrive with a truck or trailer that can safely receive loose mulch. |
| Free load size | Residents are limited to a standard-size pickup truck or single-axle trailer for free mulch loads. | Do not bring oversized trailers expecting the free-resident mulch rule to apply. |
| Daily limit | Residents are limited to 4 standard truck bed loads and 2 standard trailer loads per day. | Large landscaping projects may need more than one day. |
| Cover rule | Mulch must be covered when leaving the facility. | Bring a tarp and tie-downs before you arrive. |
Curbside Brush Collection vs Wood Recycling Center Drop-Off
Some residents do not need to drive to the Wood Recycling Center. Chattanooga also has brush and bulk trash collection. The city asks residents to keep brush, bulk trash, bagged yard waste, and leaves in separate piles at the curb by 7:00 AM on Monday of their collection week.
| User Situation | Better Option | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Small pile of limbs at a home | Curbside brush collection may be easier. | You avoid loading and unloading if the pile follows curbside rules. |
| Large truck or trailer load | Wood Recycling Center drop-off. | Drop-off can be faster if you can haul and unload safely. |
| Business or contractor brush | Wood Recycling Center paid route may apply. | Businesses and contractors are not eligible for city curbside collection. |
| Mixed brush, leaves, and bulky trash | Separate first, then use the correct service. | Brush must be separated from bulk trash, leaves, garbage, and other materials. |
Brush Collection Size and Placement Rules
For curbside brush collection, the city says wood waste may not be larger than 8 feet in length, 18 inches in diameter, and 4 feet in height. Brush piles should be close to the public street without blocking roads, sidewalks, drainage ditches, catch basins, water meters, parked cars, mailboxes, or low-hanging wires.
What To Do Instead If Your Load Is Not Wood Waste
If your material is not clean natural wood, do not force it into the Wood Recycling Center stream. Chattanooga has separate official routes for normal recyclables, refuse, landfill material, and household hazardous waste. Choosing the correct route prevents rejected loads and wasted trips.
| Material | Why Not the Wood Center? | Better Official Route |
|---|---|---|
| Clean cardboard, cans, glass, mixed paper | These are recyclables, not wood waste. | Use Chattanooga recycle centers or curbside recycling guidance. |
| Furniture, appliances, toys, metal, mattresses | These are bulky/refuse items, not clean wood waste. | Check refuse collection centers or curbside bulky trash guidance. |
| Paint, solvents, oil, pesticides, batteries | These are household hazardous waste items. | Use the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility rules. |
| Garbage, special waste, uncovered loads | These may require landfill rules, fees, or a different facility. | Check city landfill guidance before driving. |
| Plywood, paneling, pallets, treated lumber | These are listed as non-acceptable at the Wood Recycling Center. | Ask Chattanooga Solid Waste which refuse or landfill route applies. |
Common Mistakes That Cause Rejected Loads
Most rejected-load problems start at home. A load may look like “wood,” but if it is painted, treated, glued, nailed, mixed with dirt, mixed with trash, oversized, or generated by a business or contractor, the answer can change.
- Bringing pallets or treated lumber. Pallets and treated lumber are listed as non-acceptable. Do not hide them under brush.
- Leaving nails in boards. Wood with nails is listed as non-acceptable. Remove hardware or use another disposal path.
- Bringing root balls or stumps. Root balls and stumps often contain dirt, rocks, and oversized material. They are not accepted.
- Arriving too close to closing. The last vehicle time is 3:50 PM, but unloading a trailer can take time. Arrive earlier.
- Forgetting an accepted payment method. No cash or coin is listed. Bring check, credit card, or money order if payment may apply.
- Forgetting a tarp for mulch. Mulch must be covered when leaving the facility. Bring a tarp and tie-downs.
Before-You-Go Checklist for Wood Drop-Off or Mulch Pickup
- Verify today’s hours on the official Chattanooga page during holidays, storms, and service updates.
- Confirm whether you are a City of Chattanooga resident before expecting no-charge disposal or free mulch.
- Remove rejected materials such as treated lumber, pallets, glued wood, plywood, paneling, painted wood, nails, trash, dirt, rocks, root balls, stumps, railroad ties, and oversized material.
- Cut material down so it does not exceed the city’s listed length or diameter limits.
- Bring unloading help because city crews do not unload wood waste from trucks or trailers.
- Bring accepted payment if you are a non-city resident, business, contractor, or otherwise may owe the $20 per ton rate.
- Bring a tarp for mulch pickup because mulch must be covered when leaving.
- Keep separate piles for brush, leaves, trash, recycling, hazardous materials, and bulky items.
Map and Directions to the Chattanooga Wood Recycling Center
The official facility address is 4063 North Hawthorne Street, Chattanooga, TN 37406. Use the map for driving orientation, then verify official hours, holiday closures, payment rules, mulch limits, and accepted materials before loading.
Map note: Recycling-Centre.org is an independent informational guide. Use Chattanooga.gov for the final word on current hours, holiday closures, resident eligibility, fees, payment methods, material rules, mulch limits, and service changes.
Frequently Asked Questions About Wood Recycling in Chattanooga
Where is the City of Chattanooga Wood Recycling Center?
The official address is 4063 North Hawthorne Street, Chattanooga, TN 37406.
What are the Chattanooga Wood Recycling Center hours?
The facility is listed open Monday through Saturday from 8:00 AM to 3:50 PM. The last vehicle is received at 3:50 PM.
Is the Wood Recycling Center open on Sunday?
Sunday is not listed as an operating day for the Wood Recycling Center. Plan for Monday-Saturday and check official holiday closures before loading.
How much does wood recycling cost in Chattanooga?
City of Chattanooga residents are listed at no charge for acceptable wood waste under the city guideline. Non-city residents, businesses, and contractors are listed at $20.00 per ton.
What payment types are accepted?
The official page lists checks, credit card, and money order. It also says no cash or coin.
What materials are accepted?
The official accepted-materials list includes raw natural wood, brush, and leaves.
Can I bring pallets or treated lumber?
No. Pallets and treated lumber are listed as non-acceptable materials. Use another city-approved disposal route.
Can I bring wood with nails?
No. Wood with nails is listed as non-acceptable. Remove hardware or ask the city which disposal option applies.
Can I bring stumps or root balls?
No. Root balls and stumps are listed as non-acceptable. Dirt, rocks, and oversized material can damage equipment and cause rejection.
Is mulch free in Chattanooga?
Mulch is listed at no charge for City of Chattanooga residents when a valid driver’s license is presented. Businesses and non-city residents must pay a fee to the contractor at the Wood Recycling Center.
Will city crews unload my wood waste?
No. The official guideline says city crews do not unload wood from trucks or trailers. Bring help if your load is heavy.
What if I only have curbside brush?
Use Chattanooga’s brush collection guidance if your brush qualifies. Keep brush separate from bulk trash and leaves, place it correctly, and have it out by the listed collection timing.
Where should cardboard, bottles, cans and normal recycling go?
Normal recyclables should use Chattanooga recycle centers or curbside recycling guidance. They are not wood waste.
Where should paint, chemicals or batteries go?
Paint, chemicals, batteries and similar materials may require household hazardous waste guidance. Do not mix them into a wood waste load.
Is Recycling-Centre.org the official Chattanooga website?
No. Recycling-Centre.org is an independent informational guide. Always verify current rules, rates, schedules, holiday closures, accepted materials, and contact details on Chattanooga.gov.
Final Local Summary
The City of Chattanooga Wood Recycling Center is best for raw natural wood, brush, and leaves. The official address is 4063 North Hawthorne Street, and the listed schedule is Monday-Saturday, 8:00 AM-3:50 PM. The final vehicle is received at 3:50 PM.
City residents may qualify for no-charge disposal of acceptable wood waste in a standard-size pickup truck or single-axle trailer. Non-city residents, businesses, and contractors are listed at $20.00 per ton. Do not bring treated lumber, pallets, glued wood, root balls, stumps, wood with nails, dirt, rocks, plywood, paneling, trash, painted wood, oversized material, or railroad ties.