Johnson City trash pickup: cost and carts

City of Johnson City Solid Waste Services Division. Billed by: A solid waste fee of $16.75 per month is automatically assessed to each water meter account.

Johnson City's solid waste fee is $16.75 a month on your water account. It covers weekly garbage pickup in one 95-gallon cart, curbside recycling, appliance and furniture collection, brush and leaf collection.

Changing your cart

In areas with automated collection, the City provides one 95-gallon cart at no charge. For more room, buy an additional 95-gallon cart for $79.85 plus tax at Solid Waste Services, 91 New St., or by phone at 423-975-2792; each extra cart needs a decal that costs $30 a year.

Ways to pay less

• Seniors 65+ or disabled, low income: state and city property tax relief. Tennessee's tax relief program reimburses part or all of the property taxes paid by low-income homeowners 65 or older (by December 31, 2026) or disabled. The income limit is $38,470 (2025 income of the applicant, spouse, co-owners and resident remainder); other requirements apply. For tax year 2026 Johnson City adds its own local relief for those who qualify ($127 for Washington County homes, $129 in Carter and Sullivan counties). It is a reimbursement, not an exemption. How: Apply with the County Trustee or, for property inside city limits, the city collecting official; the city program uses the state application, with no extra form. Questions: City Tax Specialist, 601 E. Main St., 423-232-1480.
• Disabled veterans or surviving spouses: state and city property tax relief. Disabled veterans whose disability meets one of the criteria the Comptroller lists (for example, a service-connected permanent and total disability as determined by the VA), and surviving spouses in the listed cases, can get state tax relief calculated on up to $175,000 of market value; other requirements apply. For tax year 2026 Johnson City adds $660 for homes in Washington County ($671 in Carter and Sullivan counties). How: Apply with the County Trustee or, for property inside city limits, the city collecting official, with consent form F-16 (F-16S for a surviving spouse). Questions: City Tax Specialist, 423-232-1480.
• Brush, leaf, appliance and furniture collection included. The $16.75 solid waste fee covers curbside garbage collection and recycling, appliance and furniture collection, brush collection and leaf collection. How: Call the Street Division (brush and leaf collection) at 423-975-2700 or Solid Waste Services at 423-975-2792.

Pay or manage it

• Garbage pickup day map and rules ↗
• Start or stop water, sewer and solid waste service ↗

Sources

1. Tennessee Comptroller 2025 tax rates, Washington, Carter and Sullivan counties
2. Johnson City garbage collection
3. Johnson City recycling
4. WJHL: Carter County tax rate to drop 47% after reappraisal (May 2026)

Checked October 21, 2026. Every number here comes from the public sources listed, matched by our checker.