The City of Knoxville’s Office of Waste and Resources Management announced today that a new recycling drop-off center will open on Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020, at 5412 Pleasant Ridge Road in Northwest Knoxville.

This new center will replace the closed center that had been located at 4400 Western Ave, just two miles from the new site. 

The new center is one of five recycling drop-off centers located within the city limits. There is no fee to residents and businesses who bring their separated materials to these centers and dispose of them in an environmentally-friendly manner. 

Mixed paper, cardboard, glass bottles and jars, plastic containers, and aluminum and steel cans can be recycled at the centers.

These facilities offer an invaluable service to city residents; a third of all City of Knoxville recycling is collected from these sites. 

“The closing of the Western Avenue recycling center just made sense, because the tenants of the on-site buildings have moved out,” says Patience Melnik, manager of the Waste and Resources Management Office. 

The new center shares the location with a Goodwill storefront and accepts the same recyclable materials as the four other City drop-off centers.

“This new center offers residents a convenient, safe and easily-accessible way to recycle,” adds Melnik.

Also starting Wednesday, all City recycling drop-off centers will alter operation hours from 24 hours a day to an 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. schedule. Goodwill attendants will work four additional hours a day, so the centers are always staffed when open. Attendants accept donations, answer any questions, and manage the recycling drop-off centers. 

Along with new hours, the centers are being updated with freshly painted recycling roll-offs, clearer signage of what is and isn’t accepted, and message boards with more in-depth recycling information. 

None of the City recycling centers accept any trash; all Knox County and city residents can dispose of trash for free at one of the seven Knox County Convenience Centers. For more information, please visit https://knoxcounty.org/solid_waste/centers.php.

Knox County and city residents can dispose of household hazardous waste such as pesticides, paint, anti-freeze, batteries, electronics, etc. for free at the Household Hazardous Waste Facility, 1033 Elm St. For more information, please visit www.knoxvilletn.gov/hhw.

For more information about the five City of Knoxville Recycling Drop-Off Centers, please visit www.knoxvilletn.gov/dropoffcenters.