Drop-off Centers_
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- Curbside_
- Metal Recycling Centers_
- How to Start Recycling_
- Recyclable Materials_
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The following centers are open 24/7. For more info call 311 or visit Knoxville City’s Recycling Site.
| Location | Aluminum Cans | Cardboard | Glass Bottles | Mixed Paper | Plastics 1-7 | Steel Cans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fountain City “Old” Kroger
Zip Code 37918 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Western Ave. Kroger
Zip Code 37921 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bearden Kroger
Zip Code 37919 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cedar Bluff
Zip Code 37923 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| East Knoxville
Zip Code 37914 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bearden Food City
Zip Code 37919 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Alcoa Hwy Food City
Zip Code 37920 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Downtown
Zip Code 37902 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Vestal
Zip Code 37920 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Explanation of Recyclables:
#1-#7 plastic containers (Must have a recycle logo labeled on container)
Examples of plastics taken at the centers: Plastic grocery bags, heavy plastic wrap such the type that comes over paper towels or toilet paper, plastic straws, blue or other colored plastics or bags with the recycling triangles, thin plastic wrap such as syran wrap, plastic bottle lids with no triangle, plastic clear storage bags and trash bags such as Hefty, Glad etc. Please rinse out all containers
Examples of what plastics cannot be taken: Mixed containers such as those for nuts that have some plastic and some paper board and are difficult to separate, Styrofoam even with the recycling triangle, Styrofoam peanuts.
mixed paper
Examples of paper taken at the centers: Any type of material that is 100 percent paper including phone books, catalogs, magazines,white and colored ledger paper, white and colored note pad paper and stationary, copy paper, NRC forms, sticky notes, envelopes with or without plastic windows, fax paper, manila folders, hanging folders (remove metal bands), paperboard such as cereal boxes, tissue boxes, shredded paper, etc., and paper bags.
All locations are open from Mon – Fri 8am-6pm and Sat. 7am-3pm
| Location | Aluminum Cans | Cardboard | Glass Bottles | Mixed Paper | Plastics 1-7 | Steel Cans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carter 8815 Asheville Highway |
Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Dutchtown
10618 Dutchtown Rd |
Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Forks of the River 3106 Water Plant Rd. |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Halls
3608 Neal Rd. |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| John Servier 1810 John Sevier Hwy. View Map |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Karns
6818 Oak Ridge Hwy. |
Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Powell 301 West Beaver Creek |
Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Tazewell Pk
7128 Tazewell Pk. |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Along with the above list of items, each center will accept various large waste items such as grills, batteries, etc.
Debbie says:
January 8, 2009 at 12:37 pmHi, Does anyone know any place that excepts styrofoam in Wilson, Davidson, Sumner,or Williamson counties in TN? Thanks!!!
Education says:
January 8, 2009 at 1:01 pmThere isn’t anywhere that we know of that accepts Styrofoam in Tennessee. If anyone finds somewhere, please let us know.
Buddy says:
January 22, 2009 at 11:53 amApparently mixed paper is not allowed at Dutchtown. I had a garbabge bag full of cereal, cracker, tv dinner, and other paper boxes as well as magazines, catalogues, and phone books and the attendant said they didn’t have mixed paper collection there and to throw it in the open tops where I was also throwing an old mattress. I really wanted to recycle the mattress too, but an internet search turned up nothing in the way of mattress recycling.
Education says:
January 27, 2009 at 9:01 amBuddy, the Dutchtown center does not accept mixed paper, but the City drop off center on 341 Park Village Rd. should. It is just off of Executive Park Dr. across from the Lunchbox. The mattress unfortunately is not recyclable in this area unless you can find someone willing to reuse it. Sorry.
Gracie says:
January 27, 2009 at 1:04 amCan phone books be placed in the mixed paper or newspaper bins?
Education says:
January 27, 2009 at 8:58 amGracie, you can place the phone books in the mixed paper bin.
Mac Post says:
February 10, 2009 at 11:57 amThe Knox County convenience center in Powell is no longer located on Emory Road – the new address is
301 West Beaver Creek Road
West Beaver Creek at the Railroad Crossing.
Education says:
February 13, 2009 at 9:13 amThanks Mac. I’ve updated accordingly.
I want to recycle says:
February 12, 2009 at 5:38 pmI live in Farragut, what’s the furthest west drop off location? Around the 12000 block of Kingston Pike there was a great drop off sight until recently (between Saplings and Sonic) but now it is gone. It is because of this sight that got my family and neighbors into recycling in the first place. Is it coming back? It was always full, so I know it got the traffic to justify its location.
Yes, we should recycle, regardless of the convenience, but to the armchair recycler, the difference between a short trip down the block and a drive many miles away could be just enough to just opt for convenience (toss it in the garbage) than to make the extra effort.
Education says:
February 13, 2009 at 9:22 amSorry about the location at Saplings closing. That was not a municipal run facility. It was run by a private company. I assume that the economic recession has caused it’s closure.
The next closest location is on Dutchtown Road. Just take Lovell Road to Murdock Drive. Follow Murdock until you come to Progress Road. You should find the center easily from there. View a Map Here.
Jean says:
February 24, 2009 at 5:12 pmAre there any secure shredding/ recycling events planned?
Education says:
February 25, 2009 at 12:34 pmJean, the next secure paper event will be on March 7, 2009, and will be at our office again.
Lee says:
April 29, 2009 at 10:07 amI went by the Karns drop off center on Monday morning, and they do not seem to have a bin for mixed paper. There were bins for various types of glass, plastics, and a newspaper only bin, but nothing for mixed paper. Note: I have recently decided to start recycling again and decided to start with just mixed paper since it is clean and easy to manage.
Education says:
April 30, 2009 at 9:15 amLee, the Karn’s center does not have a mixed paper bin. The next closest center that takes mixed paper is going to on 4440 Western Ave. at the Krogers.
jam says:
May 3, 2009 at 8:39 pmi have some egg cartons that are 40% polystyrene, have the recycle logo with a ‘6′, and the company (dolco) says that they can be recycled. can they be placed in the plastics bin or are they considered styrofoam?
Education says:
May 6, 2009 at 9:30 amJam, if the egg cartons are foamed polystyrene, then they are counted as styrofoam. Don’t stick them in the mixed plastic bin. They are not recyclable in our area.
Max says:
June 10, 2009 at 11:43 pmI heard about plans to recycle styrofoam during the last Home and Garden show. Has it started yet? I have a whole bunch in my garage waiting to be recycled.
Education says:
June 11, 2009 at 8:25 amMax, we’ve put that program on hold when the economy tanked so badly. We just don’t have the resources we had last summer. Sorry.
Jessica says:
June 11, 2009 at 6:10 pmI just moved to the Woodmeade South apts on Chapman and Lippencott in South Knoxville, is there any recycling nearby? The office manager said she thought there was one by a walgreens nearby, but I couldn’t find it. Thanks
Education says:
June 15, 2009 at 9:13 amJessica, the recycling center near you is on W. Moody Ave. just off of Chapman Hwy. It is on the opposite side of the street behind Walgreens.