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Hey Tennessee, are you recycling right?

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While we hope some day that everything we use can be recycled, there are limitations on what can be put in municipal recycling at this time. To make sure recycling is successful, we must make sure we aren't "wishcycling" and contaminating our recycling. This program is designed to help individuals understand what is and is not accepted for recycling in our four target areas: Knoxville, Lebanon, Nashville, and Oak Hill.  Click the buttons below to see specific recycling information for those areas. If you live outside one of those areas, please refer to our general recycling rules below. 

While recycling varies from place to place, there are some general rules that apply everywhere. 

• Always check with your local recycling hauler to see what the specific rules are where you live. 
• Always make sure you recycling is clean and dry and bottles containing liquid are empty.
• Never add plastic bags, film or other tanglers to single-stream recycling.
• Never add Styrofoam/polystyrene to single-stream recycling.
• Never add clothing or other textiles to recycling. To recycle worn out textiles from anywhere, visit Retold Recycling and use code "TEC15" for 15% off. 
• Never add food waste or yard waste to recycling. Compost it instead!
• Never add glass to single-stream recycling.
• Most places ask that your recycling be loose and not contained in bags.
• Greasy pizza boxes are typically not accepted in single-stream recycling. You can rip off any non-greasy parts and add just those parts to your recycling. Greasy box parts can be composted. 

Important things to remember:​​

• Batteries, light bulbs and small electronics can be recycled at Batteries + Bulbs stores. 
• To recycle worn out textiles from anywhere, visit Retold Recycling and use code "TEC15" for 15% off. 
• Many hard to recycle products can be recycled through Terracycle.
• If you don't have recycling in your community, get together with neighbors and let your local government know that you want it.

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Recycle Tennessee Target Areas
Choose your community below.  If your community is not listed please check out TDEC for more information or email [email protected].

RECYCLE RIGHT NASHVILLE

RECYCLE RIGHT OAK HILL

RECYCLE RIGHT LEBANON

RECYCLE RIGHT ​KNOXVILLE

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Why recycle?

• Recycling supports the economy by keeping valuable materials in our economy rather than our landfills.
• Tennessee throws away $180,000,000 of recyclable materials every year.
• The U.S. recycling industry is an important economic driver providing more than 757,000 jobs and $6.7 billion annually in tax revenues. 
• Recycling saves energy by processing fewer natural resources.
• Recycling improves air & water quality (for example keeping plastics out of rivers).
• Recycling extends the lifespan of landfills (many of them are nearing capacity).
• "Trash" is used as a resource and given a second life.

For more information on solid waste management in TN, please  visit TDEC's website.

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What's the issue with landfills? 
When we throw anything "away" it must go somewhere. Someone must deal with it. 

• Many valuable resources in Tennessee are currently buried in landfills.  In Tennessee, we landfill $180,000,000  of recyclable materials every year.  That money could added to our economy, but instead we are burying it.
• Landfills are not practical or sustainable. Our landfills are filling up! Tennessee's largest landfill near Murfreesboro is projected to reach capacity within 5-7 years. 
• Due to the health effects of living near a landfill, landfills are generally not considered desirable to have in your community. Therefore it is hard to find locations to build new landfills. 
• Landfills produce methane and other greenhouse gases.
• U.S. citizens produce more waste per capita than the citizens of any other nation. This equates to 5% of the world's population generating 40% of the world's waste.​​
• According to TDEC, there are 35 active landfills in Tennessee, 159 that have closed and 138 in post-closure, since the modern solid waste permitting program began in Tennessee in 1991. These numbers include Classes 1, 2, 3 & 4 disposal facilities, which encompass household waste, commercial waste, industrial waste, land clearing & farming waste and construction/demolition waste.

Go zero waste

This project is funded under a grant contract with the State of Tennessee.