Nashville Waste Services Completes Major Tech Overhaul

Transition to digital route system serves 144,000 households, improves efficiency and reliability.

Published on Mar. 9, 2026

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Nashville Waste Services (NWS) has successfully executed a major operational transformation, moving 97,000 households to new collection days and retiring decades-old paper maps in favor of a fully digital, tablet-based routing system. This project, the first full optimization of Nashville's residential waste routes in over 10 years, created 192 NWS-operated routes as part of a citywide network of 300+ weekly collection routes.

Why it matters

The overhaul marks a significant modernization of Nashville's waste management infrastructure, transitioning the department from manual, paper-based operations to a data-driven, digitally-enabled service. This shift is expected to improve efficiency, reliability, and the department's ability to scale with the city's growth.

The details

The transition involved a two-part strategy: a total rebuild of the department's routing infrastructure and a 13-week public information campaign. This effort successfully moved the service days for 97,000 households (about two-thirds of the city's residential customer base) while simultaneously educating the entire city on the shift to a new collection schedule. The result is an immediate service success rate of over 99.6% in the first four weeks of transition, and a shift to a four ten-hour workday schedule for collections teams.

  • The project began on February 3, 2026.
  • The transition was completed in just 8 months.

The players

Nashville Waste Services (NWS)

The municipal waste management department responsible for residential waste collection in Nashville, Tennessee.

Tracey Thurman

The Director of Nashville Waste Services, overseeing the department's operational transformation.

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What they’re saying

“We didn't just change the schedule; we built a smarter routing system that grows with the city. By moving from paper maps to a digital platform, we can now adjust our routes as neighborhoods change and density increases. We are finally able to plan for the city's growth instead of just reacting to it.”

— Tracey Thurman, Director of Nashville Waste Services

“The success of this launch proves that high-tech tools only work when backed by a dedicated team. We've moved from an outdated service to a more modernized department, giving our drivers the tools they need and our residents the reliability they deserve.”

— Tracey Thurman, Director of Nashville Waste Services

What’s next

With the new routes now stable, the department plans to continue optimizing its operations and exploring further technological advancements to improve service delivery for Nashville's growing population.

The takeaway

Nashville Waste Services' successful transition to a fully digital, data-driven routing system demonstrates the power of technology to modernize municipal services and enhance operational efficiency and reliability. This overhaul positions the department to better serve Nashville's evolving needs and adapt to the city's growth.