There’s fresh news from our Waste and Resources Office: 

The Pleasant Ridge Recycling Center now accepts food scraps as part of the Knoxville Compost Project, making a total of five locations where residents can bring uncooked fruits and vegetables, coffee grounds with paper filters, eggshells, nut shells and loose-leaf tea (no bags).

The Knoxville Compost Project reduces food waste in area landfills by providing residents with an alternative to putting food scraps in their garbage. The foods scraps are collected by City staff and composted at local farms where they are then used to add nutrients to local community gardens. 

All City recycling centers (except Cedar Bluff) now accept food scraps: 

• Chilhowee Park/Magnolia Ave - 210 Alice Street
• Chapman Highway - 225 W. Moody Avenue
• Pleasant Ridge Recycling Center - 5412 Pleasant Ridge Road 
• Cedar Bluff location at 341 Parkvillage Road.

In addition, the Nourish Knoxville accepts food scraps on Saturdays at the Market Square Winter Market through March 29, and the Market Square Farmers’ Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays starting May 7. 

The Old City recycling center will be removed on March 19, due to parking changes in the Willow Avenue parking lot under James White Parkway. That location’s food scraps drop-off will be move to the Old City Garden at 300 E Depot Avenue. 

Residents who use that location have some options:

• Sign up for free residential curbside recycling by calling 311 or making an online request at KnoxvilleTN.gov/recycling. 
• Recycle at one of the City’s other recycling centers, listed above
• Visit the University of Tennessee’s Public Recycling Drop-Off at 2121 Stephenson Drive Dock 24, open 7a.m. - 8:30 p.m. daily.  

"We appreciate the City’s support of UT’s Public Drop-Off and look forward to welcoming more community recyclers,” says Recycling Supervisor Brad Moats. “We are excited and ready to provide this resource to the community, ensuring valuable materials are properly recycled.”  The UT Public Drop Off accepts all the materials collected at the Old City site, including glass, and additional items, including plastic bags and film, plastic and wooden pallets, batteries and more. See a complete list at https://sustainability.utk.edu/initiatives/utrecycling/public-drop-off. 

Knox County Solid Waste operates seven Recycling and Solid Waste Convenience centers, which are open to all Knox County residents. For a list of those, as well as additional information about what is recyclable, visit KnoxvilleTN.gov/recycling. 

Visit KnoxvilleTN.gov/compost to learn more about how to keep more of your household’s waste in the food system and out of local landfills.