Spring Hill's trash pickup is facing a fork in the road, and the choice could show up on residents' utility bills. With the city's contract with Waste Management set to expire May 31, 2027, city staff have recommended a one-year extension, but the Board of Mayor and Aldermen has yet to settle on a path forward, leaving the fastest-growing corner of Tennessee without a clear answer on who will haul away its trash past next year.
City staff floated pushing the contract's expiration to May 31, 2028, buying more time to study the city's long-term solid waste and recycling needs, according to Main Street Media of Tennessee. That extra year would let the city weigh other collection providers, consider changes to the current trash and recycling service model, and study whether bringing some services in-house could ultimately save money, per the same report. Spring Hill has worked with Waste Management since 2019, when the Board of Mayor and Aldermen first awarded the contract through Resolution 19-60, a deal that City of Spring Hill records mark as a major shift in how the city structured contracted sanitation.
Mayor Matt Fitterer laid out the stakes in a September public statement, framing the decision facing the board as a choice among three paths: take the one-year extension, launch a nine-month re-bidding process for a new provider, or explore hybrid options that bring select collection services in-house, according to a post from Mayor Matt Fitterer. Any new bidding process would have to unfold within the contract's remaining months, the mainstreetmediatn.com report notes, adding pressure to a decision that has already split the board.
Aldermen Split On Extension Versus Open Bidding
Board members have expressed differing opinions on the best approach, the Main Street Media of Tennessee report states, with some supporting a straightforward one-year extension and others favoring seeking bids from other companies. Alderman Alex Jimenez said he did not want the city to pursue a new provider if doing so would result in higher costs for residents, according to the same account. No final decision has been made, and the board and city staff continue to evaluate options for future waste collection services.
The current contract itself traces back to a two-year extension the board approved through Resolution 25-114 in May 2025, covering service from May 31, 2025 through May 31, 2027, per City of Spring Hill meeting records. The extension continued the city's relationship with Waste Management.
Why Every Fee Increase Now Lands On Residents
Spring Hill's sanitation policy, established in November 2022, set residential service at a base rate of $21.25 monthly with a built-in $1.00 annual increase to cover weekly trash, biweekly recycling, and city brush pickup, according to city policy documents. Residents needing extra capacity can rent additional 95-gallon polycarts directly from Waste Management for $9.42 per cart per month, billed separately from the standard utility statement that already covers one trash cart and one recycling cart per household.
Brush collection is also part of the city's waste services, and a $25 fee applies to bulky-item pickup.
Population Boom Adds Pressure To The Timeline
The debate isn't happening in a vacuum. Spring Hill is among Tennessee's fastest-growing municipalities, according to the Tennessee State Data Center.
For now, the board has made no final decision, and city staff continue evaluating the options on the table — extension, rebid, or hybrid in-house model — as the clock ticks toward the May 2027 deadline.
