Community Cleanup and Beautification Guide for Gallatin

Gallatin residents, schools and volunteer groups can organize neighborhood cleanups by contacting Gallatin Public Works at 615-451-5909. The city’s Adopt-A-Street program provides bags, gloves, safety vests and caution signs for approved roadway cleanups. Report littering to Tennessee’s Litter Hotline at 1-877-8-LITTER, report litter on state routes through TDOT, and use the City’s Fix It Form for litter or debris on city-maintained property. [cite:gallatin-litter-beautification,gallatin-adopt-a-street-procedures,gallatin-fix-it-form,tdot-maintenance-request]

Gallatin residents, schools and volunteer groups have several ways to improve public spaces, but the correct process depends on where the litter is located and whether the cleanup is a one-time project or an ongoing commitment.

For a neighborhood cleanup inside Gallatin, start with the City of Gallatin Public Works contact listed for cleanup events: 615-451-5909. The city’s Adopt-A-Street program can provide bags, gloves, safety vests and caution signs for approved roadway cleanups. For littering in progress, call Tennessee’s Litter Hotline at 1-877-8-LITTER rather than confronting the person or entering an unsafe area.

Choose the right Gallatin cleanup option

Your situation — Best starting point — What to know

Neighborhood, school or volunteer-group cleanup on city streets — Gallatin Public Works / Adopt-A-Street — Call 615-451-5909 and review the city’s safety and waiver requirements before collecting litter along a roadway.

Litter or debris problem on city-maintained property — City of Gallatin Fix It Form — The form includes categories for litter and debris in the road and accepts a description, location and optional photo.

Littering observed from a vehicle — Tennessee Litter Hotline — Report the incident through the state hotline; gather vehicle details only when it is safe to do so.

Roadside litter on a numbered state route — TDOT maintenance request — TDOT is responsible for interstates and state routes. Provide the route, mile marker and nearby cross streets when possible.

Recurring cleanup of a state-maintained roadway — TDOT Adopt-A-Highway — Groups generally commit to about two miles for at least one year and conduct four cleanups. TDOT supplies safety materials and removes filled bags.

Brush or leaves from a property inside Gallatin — City Environmental Services — Eligible Gallatin trash customers receive brush pickup on a continuous route; leaves and grass have separate bagging requirements.

1. Organize a neighborhood or school cleanup

The City of Gallatin lists 615-451-5909 as its contact for cleanup events. Call before advertising a volunteer day so the city can explain which program applies, what area can be covered and how collected bags should be handled.

For a school club, neighborhood association, church, civic group or other organized team, prepare the following information before calling:

• The proposed cleanup location and nearby cross streets
• Whether the area is a sidewalk, neighborhood street, public right-of-way, park or waterway
• The estimated number and age range of volunteers
• A proposed date and backup date
• The name and phone number of the group coordinator
• Whether the group needs bags, gloves, vests, caution signs or pickup assistance

Do not assume that every public space is maintained by the same agency. A city street, a county road and a state route may have different responsible authorities. Sumner County says roads with route numbers are maintained by the state, while the county Highway Department administers county anti-litter activities and maintains county roads.

2. Adopt a Gallatin street for recurring cleanup

Gallatin’s Adopt-A-Street program is designed for groups that want a continuing commitment instead of a single cleanup. The city’s cleanup information says Public Works has emphasized equipping groups to adopt streets, and the city reports that its listed adopters collected more than 3,500 pounds of trash from city rights-of-way during fiscal year 2024.

The city’s Adopt-A-Street procedures require an approved memorandum of understanding before the first pickup. Volunteers must review the safety guidelines and sign liability-release forms; parents or guardians must complete the required consent process for participating minors ages 12 through 17.

What the city provides

The Adopt-A-Street procedures identify these materials:

• Volunteer safety guidelines
• Liability-release forms
• Caution signs
• Litter bags
• Gloves
• Safety vests

Safety vests must be worn during the pickup, and caution signs are required at the beginning and end of the adopted roadway segment.

Before the first cleanup, contact Gallatin Public Works to arrange material pickup and complete the required paperwork. After the cleanup, the group must report the number of bags collected so the city can arrange roadside pickup and maintain activity records. The procedures also instruct groups to return loaned materials after the event.

3. Report litter instead of handling an unsafe site

A cleanup is not the right response to every litter problem. Do not touch needles, chemicals, sealed containers, ammunition, explosives, suspected hazardous substances or other materials that could injure volunteers.

For littering that you witness, Gallatin directs residents to the Tennessee Litter Hotline at 1-877-8-LITTER. If you can safely note the vehicle description, license plate, location and direction of travel, that information may help investigators. Do not follow a suspected litterer, stand in traffic or use a phone while driving.

For a problem on city-maintained property, the City of Gallatin Fix It Form includes categories for Litter and Debris in the road. The form asks for contact information, a description and the location of the problem, and it allows a photo upload.

If the litter is on a state-owned road, use TDOT’s maintenance request process. TDOT says it is responsible for interstates and state routes, and asks residents to provide the route, mile marker and nearby cross streets or interchanges. After business hours, the TDOT Road Repair Hotline is 833-TDOTFIX, or 833-836-8349. The hotline is not for life-threatening emergencies; call 911 when emergency help is needed.

4. Use TDOT Adopt-A-Highway for state routes

Gallatin groups interested in a state-maintained roadway can apply through Tennessee’s Adopt-A-Highway program rather than using the city’s Adopt-A-Street process.

TDOT says groups are generally asked to adopt approximately two miles for at least one year and complete four cleanups, with one cleanup per season recommended. There is no participation fee. TDOT provides supplies and safety materials, and TDOT crews remove filled bags from the roadside.

The program is open to individuals and groups over age 12. Volunteers ages 12 through 17 need parental permission, and TDOT requires one adult supervisor for every five youth volunteers under age 18. Groups must designate a coordinator, submit the volunteer application and work with a district coordinator to receive an assigned roadway segment.

This option is most appropriate for recurring cleanup of an interstate or state route. If you are unsure who maintains a road, verify the route with the city, county or TDOT before planning a roadside event.

5. Prepare supplies and volunteers safely

For city Adopt-A-Street work, use the materials and safety instructions supplied by Gallatin Beautiful. The city’s procedures call for safety briefings before each pickup, parking clear of the roadway, high-visibility vests, gloves, sturdy closed-toe shoes or boots and work in pairs. Volunteers should face oncoming traffic, avoid peak travel times and stop during inclement weather.

The city also instructs volunteers not to collect items from pavement, medians, bridges, tunnels or overpasses, and not to work near construction areas. Hazardous substances should be left alone.

A practical volunteer checklist includes:

• Safety briefing and completed waivers
• Group coordinator and attendance list
• Safety vests and gloves
• Closed-toe shoes, long pants and weather-appropriate clothing
• Drinking water, sunscreen and insect repellent
• First-aid supplies and a way to contact the coordinator
• Trash bags and caution signs supplied or approved by the responsible agency
• A plan for reporting hazards and requesting bag pickup

Do not place collected bags in a travel lane, block a sidewalk or leave material at an unapproved location. Ask the responsible agency where bags should be staged before volunteers begin.

6. Handle brush, leaves and cleanup waste correctly

Litter cleanup and yard-waste collection are different services. Inside Gallatin, the city provides brush and leaf pickup through Environmental Services for residents who receive city trash service. Brush trucks operate on a continuous route, so eligible customers do not need to schedule routine brush pickup.

The city’s brush guidelines say limbs and logs must be no longer than 15 feet, placed within two feet of the curb, road or sidewalk, and stacked in the same direction. Brush should not be mixed with furniture, trash, treated wood or painted wood, and it must not block driveways, intersections, streets or sidewalks.

Leaf and grass collection has separate rules. The city accepts paper lawn-and-leaf bags, not plastic bags. Bags must be under 40 pounds, securely folded and filled only with leaves or grass.

For a volunteer cleanup, do not mix household bulk waste, brush, tires, chemicals or other special materials into ordinary litter bags unless the responsible agency specifically approves that handling method. Gallatin’s Environmental Services Department handles residential garbage, brush, bulk-item pickup and recycling within the city limits, while Sumner County identifies the Resource Authority as a facility that accepts trash and brush. Verify current acceptance rules before transporting a large load.

Gallatin cleanup checklist

Use this sequence for a straightforward project:

1. Identify the location. Determine whether it is in Gallatin city limits, on a county road, on a state route or near a waterway.
2. Choose the responsible contact. Call Gallatin Public Works at 615-451-5909 for city cleanup coordination, use the City Fix It Form for city problems, or contact TDOT for state-owned roads.
3. Describe the project. Provide the location, date, group size, volunteer ages and expected amount of waste.
4. Complete required paperwork. For Adopt-A-Street, obtain approval, review safety guidance and collect signed releases before the first pickup.
5. Secure supplies. Confirm bags, gloves, vests, warning signs and the bag-pickup plan.
6. Brief volunteers. Explain traffic safety, prohibited materials, hydration and the emergency plan.
7. Stage bags properly. Keep collected material out of traffic lanes and away from drainage structures unless the agency gives different instructions.
8. Report the results. Tell the responsible city or state program how many bags were collected and report hazards separately.

The best next step

For most Gallatin neighborhood, school and volunteer-group cleanups, the best first call is Gallatin Public Works at 615-451-5909. Ask whether the project should be handled as a one-time cleanup or through Adopt-A-Street, what supplies are available and where filled bags should be placed.

If your group wants a recurring commitment on a numbered state route, start with TDOT Adopt-A-Highway. If you are reporting an existing litter problem, use the city’s Fix It Form, the Tennessee Litter Hotline or TDOT’s maintenance request process instead of sending unprepared volunteers into a dangerous roadside area.

Last verified: August 16, 2026. This guide distinguishes current information found on official City of Gallatin, Sumner County and Tennessee state pages. Contact the responsible agency before a cleanup because procedures, contacts, event schedules and disposal rules can change.