Cookeville expanding its municipal sanitation services beginning Friday to the Dodson Branch area following a recent annexation that brings approximately 50 to 60 new homes into the city’s service network.
Sanitation Superintendent Tony Ray said the city is offering residents a 96-gallon trash cart at no cost to replace services previously managed by private carriers. Ray said the department has already initiated a trial pickup period to accommodate early requests from the newly annexed citizens.
“They may already have this service through a private carrier, but they can opt to take our service at free of charge,” Ray said. “They will be issued one 96-gallon trash cart that will be collected every Friday.”
Ray said the department can typically deliver a new cart within 24 hours if a resident places a request before midday on Thursday. Ray said while the first cart is provided for free, households requiring additional capacity can purchase a second 96-gallon cart for a one-time fee of $75.
“We ask that this these cans only to put in household items,” Ray said. “No yard waste. And we would prefer them to be everything to be bagged.”
Ray said the expansion also includes commercial services for apartments and townhomes in the Dodson Branch area, with collections scheduled to begin Tuesday, August 18. Ray said he will work directly with landlords to determine if those locations require individual carts or larger dumpsters based on the volume of waste and site accessibility.
“It will all depend on the location, getting the truck in, the volume of the trash associated with that business,” Ray said. “And the landlord and I will discuss that.”
Ray said the city also provides specialized collection for large items such as mattresses, appliances, and furniture on the first and third Tuesdays of every month. Ray said residents must call a dedicated recorded line at 931-520-5201 to schedule a pickup for these bulky items.
“The big thing that problem that we run into, people puts their carts out of reach or up against something,” Ray said. “We have what we call a three-foot rule. We like for a cart to be cleared of three foot around any object. That away our automated trucks can pick ’em up with the automated arm.”
Ray said residents should ensure their carts are placed at the curb by 7:00 a.m. on their designated collection day.
