What day is trash picked up in Germantown?

Once per week. Household garbage, recycling and yard waste all go on the same day. Waste Pro has until 7:00 p.m. to finish, so a late truck is not a missed pickup. City of Germantown Customer Service publishes a route map, and the fastest way to be certain is to check it or call (901) 757-7200.

What time do I need my cart at the curb in Germantown?

By 7:00 a.m. on collection day, but not before 6:00 p.m. the evening before. Leave at least 3 feet between carts and any obstruction like a mailbox, parked car or utility pole, and put the handle and wheels toward the house.

Why was my cart skipped?

Usually placement rather than schedule. Trash outside the cart. Only yard debris and bulk items may sit outside, and only within the City's limits.

Do you clean the cart on my trash day?

We come after your cart has been emptied, so it is empty when we clean it. Leave it at the curb and we handle the rest, you do not need to be home.

Germantown, TN Trash Pickup Schedule and Cart Rules

Name: Bin There, Cleaned That
Telephone: (901) 484-5802

Your pickup day, what the truck will and will not take, and the placement mistakes that get carts skipped in Germantown.

Last verified 2026-07-29 against City of Germantown Customer Service. Questions about your specific address: (901) 757-7200

Heads up

Germantown started a new five-year solid waste contract on July 1, 2026. Waste Pro is the contractor, carts were re-issued, and rates rose sharply. Curbside went from $32.45 to $51.85 a month, backdoor from $40.15 to $74.70, and condominiums from $20.90 to $36. If your cart or your rules changed recently, this is why.

Your collection day

Once per week. Household garbage, recycling and yard waste all go on the same day. Waste Pro has until 7:00 p.m. to finish, so a late truck is not a missed pickup.

Look up your route on the official Germantown schedule

Cart placement

Cart	96-gallon green trash cart, City-issued. Personal cans and carts from the previous contractor are no longer allowed for curbside service.
Out by	7:00 a.m. on collection day, but not before 6:00 p.m. the evening before
Back in by	8:00 a.m. the day after collection
Clearance	at least 3 feet between carts and any obstruction like a mailbox, parked car or utility pole
Facing	handle and wheels toward the house

Why carts get skipped

Trash outside the cart. Only yard debris and bulk items may sit outside, and only within the City's limits.
Lid not fully closed.
Cardboard wedged tightly in the recycling cart. The automated arm cannot empty a jammed cart, so break boxes down and drop them in loose.
Less than 3 feet of clearance around the cart.
Cart out before 6:00 p.m. the night before, which is an ordinance violation.

When you have too much

Up to two trash carts and two recycling carts per household. Additional carts carry a one-time $75 delivery fee paid to Waste Pro before delivery. An optional 96-gallon brown yard debris cart is also available for a one-time $75 fee with no monthly charge.

Recycling

City-issued blue cart in either 64 or 96 gallon. If you already have a 96-gallon recycling cart you can keep using it, and cart size does not change your service level. Condominium residents use an 18-gallon bin instead.

Goes in the recycling cart

Mixed paper: newspaper, magazines, brochures, paper bags, cartons, greeting cards, junk mail, phone books, office paper, catalogs, file folders
Corrugated cardboard, flattened and cut to no more than 3 feet by 2 feet
Non-corrugated cardboard like cereal and shoe boxes
Plastics #1, #2, #4, #5 and #7 food and beverage containers

Keep out

Plastic bags
Anything placed outside the cart, which gets collected as household trash instead
Wood, furniture and metal
Bagged recyclables, everything goes in loose

Bulk items and appliances

Bulk items are collected weekly with a limit of five cubic yards at the curb per week. Do not mix furniture or household garbage in with yard debris. Construction and demolition debris, including fencing, lumber and roofing materials, is no longer collected as bulk. Waste Pro handles that directly as a paid pickup at (901) 236-0660.

Email CustomerService@Germantown-TN.gov or call (901) 757-7200 to schedule a large item pickup. Refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners need certification from a licensed technician confirming the refrigerant was removed, and state law requires the doors be taken off before the unit goes to the curb.

Holiday weeks

During a week that includes a holiday, collection is delayed by one day for the rest of that week.

What we see on this route

Germantown ordinance requires waste containers to be stored behind the front line of the house and out of sight from the street. That is the detail that makes this town different: your cart is not sitting in the open air six days a week, it is tucked against your house or in your garage.

Worth confirming yourself

Sources disagreed on these, so we are telling you rather than picking one quietly.

The City's contract summary lists $7.75 per month plus a one-time $75 delivery fee for extra carts, while the sanitation FAQ describes a one-time $75 usage fee. Confirm current pricing with Customer Service at (901) 757-7200 before ordering.

We clean carts in Germantown

Germantown's own ordinance means your cart lives out of sight, which usually means the garage or right against the house. A cart stored in the open at least gets rained on and aired out. One stored in a hot garage does not, and that smell has nowhere to go but inside.

Your city empties the cart. It does not wash it. We come after pickup, scrub and sanitize inside and out, and deodorize it. Leave it at the curb and we handle the rest.

1 cart · $20
2 carts · $30
3+ carts · $40

Call or text (901) 484-5802

Common questions

What day is trash picked up in Germantown?: Once per week. Household garbage, recycling and yard waste all go on the same day. Waste Pro has until 7:00 p.m. to finish, so a late truck is not a missed pickup. City of Germantown Customer Service publishes a route map, and the fastest way to be certain is to check it or call (901) 757-7200.
Is recycling collected on the same day in Germantown?: Yes, recycling goes out on the same day as household garbage. City-issued blue cart in either 64 or 96 gallon. If you already have a 96-gallon recycling cart you can keep using it, and cart size does not change your service level. Condominium residents use an 18-gallon bin instead.
What time do I need my cart at the curb in Germantown?: By 7:00 a.m. on collection day, but not before 6:00 p.m. the evening before. Leave at least 3 feet between carts and any obstruction like a mailbox, parked car or utility pole, and put the handle and wheels toward the house.
Why was my cart skipped?: Usually placement rather than schedule. Trash outside the cart. Only yard debris and bulk items may sit outside, and only within the City's limits.
What if I have more trash than fits in the cart?: Up to two trash carts and two recycling carts per household. Additional carts carry a one-time $75 delivery fee paid to Waste Pro before delivery. An optional 96-gallon brown yard debris cart is also available for a one-time $75 fee with no monthly charge.
Do you clean the cart on my trash day?: We come after your cart has been emptied, so it is empty when we clean it. Leave it at the curb and we handle the rest, you do not need to be home.