Changes To City’s Refuse Policy - Effective August 2020
The Dalton Mayor and Council approved changes to the city’s garbage collection policy, enacting changes to the rules for the collection of bulky refuse items and yard trimmings. These new changes took effect on August 17th with the goal of improving the appearance of Dalton’s neighborhoods. By reducing the amount of time that piles of refuse stay on the curb and limiting the types of items that can be left, we can improve the city’s “curb appeal.”
New Refuse and Yard Trimmings Policy
The biggest change to the city’s policy is that residents will now be required to contact the Public Works Department before putting refuse items (bulky items that do not fit in their garbage can or recycling bin) on the curb. They can either call the department or they can use the SeeClickFix app on this website or their smartphone to request and schedule a pickup. The app can be downloaded from links on the SeeClickFix page. Collection will still take place on a biweekly basis, with the northern half of the city being serviced one week and the southern half the next. It is not necessary to call ahead or schedule pick up for yard trimmings.
The changes to the ordinance also set a volume limit for each load of refuse and yard trimmings. For refuse, the maximum limit is two cubic yards of refuse, or about the length of a long-bed pickup truck. For yard trimmings, that limit is four cubic yards of trimmings (about the length of two long bed pickup trucks), with individual units of yard trimming debris not to exceed eight feet in length or 100 pounds in weight. Residents will be charged a fee of $30 per cubic yards in excess of those limits.
New Cardboard Box Policy
Another major change prohibits leaving cardboard boxes out for collection. Boxes must be broken down and left in recycling bins. If the broken-down boxes can’t fit in the recycling bin, residents should take them to one of six cardboard recycling dumpster locations in the city (Heritage Point Park, Dalton Public Works, Haig Mill Lake Park, Mitchell Street at the Rec Department, Dalton Fire Station #4, or Lakeshore Park). View a map of these cardboard recycling points in the document at the bottom of the page.
Refuse Items Allowed for Pickup
Items allowed for pickup include: household furniture, mattresses/box springs, white goods (standard appliances), electronic waste, dried paint, bicycles (and other common outdoor items), other items not specifically prohibited in the ordinance.
Rufuse Items Not Allowed for Pickup
Construction/remodeling debris is not allowed to be left as refuse for curbside pickup whether it is generated by contractors or residents. Other refuse items that are not allowed include: dirt, broken concrete, asphalt, bricks, rock or debris resulting from repairs, remodeling, or construction waste (including, but not limited to, plumbing fixtures, sinks, bathtubs, shower stalls, toilets, cabinets, doors, windows, trim, sheetrock, insulation, wood paneling, water/sewer piping, wire, roofing material and debris, lumber, plywood, subfloor, siding, plastic pails or buckets 5-gallons or larger, pallets, landscape timbers, crossties, lattice, fencing of any type, carpet, ceramic tile and other floor coverings).
More information about the changes to the ordinance and information about curbside collection of garbage, refuse, yard trimmings, and recycling can be found on the Garbage Policy page, or in Spanish on the Poliza de Basura page.
