Blog: City Blog

Make a Habit of Recycling

Habits are hard to break, but how easy are they to make?

With awareness, preparation and practice, recycling is a lifestyle your household can adopt and enjoy.

For beginners, it’s important to make the practice of recycling an easy habit to pick up and maintain. One way to keep recycling front of mind is to establish your recycling center near your kitchen garbage can. It can be as simple as placing another kitchen-sized can, maybe of a different color or labeled with a recycling icon, next to the one for garbage.

Rubbermaid kitchen can

This separate bin will be the go-to place for all single-stream recyclables, mixed together and ready to place in your City recycling cart on the eve of your pick-up day.

If your space restrictions or the mass of your recyclables requires a different arrangement, connectable or stackable bins are an option. Mixed paper in one; plastics and metals in another; and one to hold glass for trips to the recycling center.

three bin sorter

Another good habit to adopt is knowing what can and cannot be recycled in your single-stream cart.

These recyclable items can be included in the cart:

• Plastics, rinsed: plastic bottles and lids, plastic cups, plastic jugs, milk jugs, detergent containers, all plastic containers #1-7 (#6 Styrofoam is not accepted)
• Metals, rinsed: aluminum cans, steel cans, tin cans
• Paper/Cardboard, without food particles or oil: newspaper, magazines, junk mail, sticky notes, envelopes (not necessary to remove plastic windows), notebooks (with or without spiral spine), office paper (with or without staples and tape), cereal boxes, cardboard, shredded paper (placed in a paper bag to prevent scattered pieces)

These items are recyclable locally, but not in the cart:

• Glass bottles and containers, rinsed: Glass can be recycled at City or County drop-off centers, where colors are separated into different containers
• Plastic grocery bags: Many grocery stores have a dedicated recycling bin that accepts clean plastic bags

City drop-off centers:

NORTH: Behind former Kroger at I-640 Plaza on Western Ave.
SOUTH: Goodwill at W. Moody Ave. - 225 W. Moody Ave.
EAST: Goodwill at Chilhowee Park - 210 Alice St.
WEST: Goodwill at Cedar Bluff - 341 Parkvillage Rd.
DOWNTOWN: Downtown Recycling Center - 227 Willow Ave.

Knox County drop-off centers:

Carter: 8815 Asheville Hwy (no glass recycling)
Dutchtown: 10618 Dutchtown Road
Halls: 3608 Neal Drive
John Sevier: 1950 W. Governor John Sevier Highway
Karns: 6930 Karns Crossing Lane
Powell: 7311 Morton View Lane
Tazewell Pike / Gibbs: 7201 Tazewell Pike

These items are not recyclable in City of Knoxville single-stream recycling or at drop off centers:

Food scraps*, plastic wrap, bubble wrap, resealable plastic storage bags, Styrofoam, chip bags/candy wrappers (nothing with a silver inner lining), waxy-coated materials (i.e., milk/juice cartons, ice cream cartons, etc.), plastic utensils and straws, aluminum foil and baking pans, batteries, ceramics, dishes, plastic toys, water hoses, light bulbs, medical waste, mirrors, and window glass

* Food scraps, along with grass clippings and dry leaves, can be composted. Learn more from our Office of Sustainability.

Hazardous waste, like paint, Christmas lights, fluorescent light bulbs, insect killer, electronics, mercury thermometers and batteries, may be disposed of at the City's Solid Waste Facility at 1033 Elm Street. Visit the website to learn which items are accepted and the hours of the center.

Ready to recycle like a pro? Take this quiz to see how your recycling know-how ranks. Happy recycling!

Posted by ptravis On 10 May, 2017 at 11:35 AM