Recycle Right Knoxville:
Now that almost half of Knoxvillians are recycling curbside, we need to make sure that we are recycling right for the system to work. There is currently a high degree of plastic bags and other contaminants in the recycling stream that reduce the benefits of recycling. This campaign will help you understand how to recycle right in Knoxville so we can keep recyclables out of the landfill and in our economy. Let's make recycling work for everyone!
Who qualifies for City of Knoxville recycling pickup?
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Why should you recycle right?
From Knoxcounty.org: "Knox County taxpayers spend almost $2,000,000 per year to transport to and bury waste in a landfill forever while the revenue from the sale of recyclables can sometimes exceed $500,000 per year. Recycling helps offset significant expenses and helps keep taxes low."
Items accepted in Knoxville curbside recycling:
Paper and cardboard
- Newspaper, magazines, junk mail
- Sticky notes, envelopes (not necessary to remove plastic windows)
- Notebooks, office paper with or without staples and tape
- Cereal boxes
- Cardboard & cardboard tubes
- Shredded paper (placed in a paper bag to prevent scattered pieces)
- Books
Plastics
- Rinsed plastic bottles and lids
- Rinsed plastic cups
- Rinsed plastic jugs, milk jugs, detergent containers
Metals
- Rinsed aluminum cans (*Aluminum foil and baking pans are not accepted materials)
- Rinsed steel cans
- Rinsed tin cans
- Rinsed metal lids
Items not accepted in Knoxville curbside recycling:
Glass
- Glass (must be taken to a drop-off center in order to be recycled)
Plastic film & Other problematic plastics
- All plastic bags
- Grocery bags
- Bread bags
- Zip-top bags
- Dry cleaning bags
- Chip bags/candy wrappers (nothing with a silver inner lining)
- The plastic wrap around many products including: paper plates, napkins, bathroom tissue, diapers, and more
- Plastic straws/ utensils
- Plastic toys
- Styrofoam
Hazardous waste
- Batteries
- Electronics
- Hazardous waste
- Latex paint
- Medical waste
- smoke detectors
- Automotive Oil and Fuel
- Additives
- Antifreeze
- Bleach
- Brake fluid
- Car wax and cleaners
- Carburetor and Fuel Injection Cleaners
- Caulk
- Cooking grease
- Detergent
- Drain openers
- Fire extinguishers
- Flea collars
- Fluorescent tubes & compact fluorescent light bulbs
- Fungicides/Wood Preservatives
- Gasoline
- Grease and Rust Solvents
- Herbicides
- Household cleaners
- Insect repellant
- Insecticide
- Lighter fluid
- Mercury Thermometers
- Mothballs
- Oven cleaner
- Paint
- Paint stripper and removers
- Paint thinner
- Pesticides
- Pet spray and dip
- Pool chemicals
- Propane Cylinders
- Rat and mouse poison
- Shoe polish
- Spot remover
- Spray paint cans
- Stain
- Starter Fluids
- Toilet bowl cleaner
- Transmission fluid
- Tub and tile cleaner
- TVs
- Varnish
- Weed killer
- Windshield wiper fluid
Various household items
- Clothing
- Ceramics
- Dishes
- Cords/water hoses
- Light bulbs/holiday lights
- Mirrors
- Trash
- Window glass
- Yard waste
- Wood
To recycle glass bottles visit one of these Drop-Off Centers:
- Knox County Recycling & Household Waste Convenience Center| 6930 Karns Crossing Ln, Knoxville, TN 37931
- Carter | 8815 Asheville Hwy (Just east off of Asheville Highway and the Andrew Johnson Highway Split)
- Dutchtown | 10618 Dutchtown Road (Easy access from Lovell Rd or Pellissippi Parkway)
- Halls | 3608 Neal Drive (A few hundred yards past Kmart)
- John Sevier | 1950 W. Governor John Sevier Highway (at Twin Creek Rd area between Alcoa Highway and Chapman Highway)
- Karns | 6930 Karns Crossing Lane (near Rocky Tops a half mile east of Ingles)
- Powell | 7311 Morton View Lane (Just east of the railroad tracks off of West Beaver Creek Road in Powell)
- Tazewell Pike / Gibbs | 7201 Tazewell Pike (Just south of Emory Road)
- W. Moody Ave Recycling Center at Goodwill | 225 W Moody Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920
- Goodwill at Chilhowee Park | 210 Alice St.
- Goodwill at Cedar Bluff | 341 Parkvillage Rd.
- Downtown Recycling Center | 227 Willow Ave
- Recycling Super Center | 4440 Western Ave. in the I-640 Plaza
- UTK Recycling Center | 2121 Stephenson Drive Dock 24 (open 24/7)
What else is accepted at Drop-off centers?
- Plastic (all plastics #1-7) (No styrofoam)
- Mixed paper
- Cardboard
- Newspaper
- Aluminum cans
- Steel cans
- Glass – clear, green and brown (EXCEPT Carter)
- Goodwill drop-off locations (Dutchtown, Halls, Karns and John Sevier)
- Cooking oil (EXCEPT Carter in a NON-GLASS container)
- Electronic waste (accepted at Dutchtown, Halls, Karns and John Sevier)
