Page 10 - Nov/Dec 2015 Vol. 33 No. 5
P. 10
CHATTANOOGA By Justin Holland
Wood Recycle Center Diverts Waste
The City of Chattanooga’s Wood Recycle A horizontal grinder takes yard waste and grinds it into mulch that
Center, located in the City’s center, is the is given to residents or sold to businesses. Its run time is dependent
designated site for one of Chattanooga’s upon available material.
most effective landfill diversion programs,
namely the proper reuse of yard waste. The
City is able to collect tens of thousands of
tons of wood debris through the efficient
use of its fleet and operational workforce
while enabling the brush and leaves to be
recycled into a cost effective and useful
product.
This process begins with collection.
Namely, City knuckle boom trucks,
utilizing daily generated routes to ensure
efficiency of travel and collection time,
service brush requests called in by citizens
to the City’s 311 call system. This on-
call service collects yard waste five days
a week throughout the year. During the
peak season, up to 15 trucks collect piles
throughout the work day, averaging over
300 requests daily while that number
drops to around 100 stops in the winter
months due to demand. Last fiscal year,
the City of Chattanooga’s Public Works
department was assigned over 54,677
brush calls, averaging 4,500 each month,
and collected over 11,789.87 tons curbside.
While brush collection garners the higher
numbers, City trucks also collect leaves set
out on the City right-of-way beginning
in November of each year and ending in
February. Hook hoist trucks, operated by
one man, run within a defined area and
utilize a joystick controlled vacuum hose
to remove all yard debris to prevent leaves
from entering the storm drains and be-
coming a water quality issue. These hook
hoist trucks utilize multi-chassis units, a
cost saving initiative, by allowing the truck
to function in additional capacities such
as a snow plow or for the transport of
construction and demolition material. Last
fiscal year alone, the City collected over
5,500 tons of leaves.
All brush and leaves collected by City
crews are taken back to the Wood Recycle
Center for proper disposal. The brush is
processed through the City’s horizon-
tal grinder creating fine mulch which is
in turn sold to non-City residents or to
businesses and given freely to residents of
Chattanooga. Mulch is transported daily,
by City crews, to the City-owned landfill
to be used during inclement weather as
10 TPW November/December 2015
Wood Recycle Center Diverts Waste
The City of Chattanooga’s Wood Recycle A horizontal grinder takes yard waste and grinds it into mulch that
Center, located in the City’s center, is the is given to residents or sold to businesses. Its run time is dependent
designated site for one of Chattanooga’s upon available material.
most effective landfill diversion programs,
namely the proper reuse of yard waste. The
City is able to collect tens of thousands of
tons of wood debris through the efficient
use of its fleet and operational workforce
while enabling the brush and leaves to be
recycled into a cost effective and useful
product.
This process begins with collection.
Namely, City knuckle boom trucks,
utilizing daily generated routes to ensure
efficiency of travel and collection time,
service brush requests called in by citizens
to the City’s 311 call system. This on-
call service collects yard waste five days
a week throughout the year. During the
peak season, up to 15 trucks collect piles
throughout the work day, averaging over
300 requests daily while that number
drops to around 100 stops in the winter
months due to demand. Last fiscal year,
the City of Chattanooga’s Public Works
department was assigned over 54,677
brush calls, averaging 4,500 each month,
and collected over 11,789.87 tons curbside.
While brush collection garners the higher
numbers, City trucks also collect leaves set
out on the City right-of-way beginning
in November of each year and ending in
February. Hook hoist trucks, operated by
one man, run within a defined area and
utilize a joystick controlled vacuum hose
to remove all yard debris to prevent leaves
from entering the storm drains and be-
coming a water quality issue. These hook
hoist trucks utilize multi-chassis units, a
cost saving initiative, by allowing the truck
to function in additional capacities such
as a snow plow or for the transport of
construction and demolition material. Last
fiscal year alone, the City collected over
5,500 tons of leaves.
All brush and leaves collected by City
crews are taken back to the Wood Recycle
Center for proper disposal. The brush is
processed through the City’s horizon-
tal grinder creating fine mulch which is
in turn sold to non-City residents or to
businesses and given freely to residents of
Chattanooga. Mulch is transported daily,
by City crews, to the City-owned landfill
to be used during inclement weather as
10 TPW November/December 2015
