About the Recycling Initiative

Recycling Initiative is TEC’s vision of a circular economy, and we see this as the future of solid waste in Tennessee.

Recycling is Key because 75% of our landfills are being filled up with materials that can be recycled or composted. We could be creating jobs, supporting TN economy, and restoring soils from materials we are currently burying.

We work toward our vision through two focus areas:

recycling Roundups and policy advocacy.

Recycling Roundups Advocacy
Recycling can be confusing!

Recycling in Tennessee varies significantly by municipality

Guidelines and locations depend on your local city or county waste department. While we hope that someday everything we use can be recycled, there are limitations on what can be placed in municipal recycling at this time. To make recycling successful, we must avoid “wishcycling” and contamination.

The difference between

Landfills, MRFs, & Composting

Most recycling in Tennessee works this way

Curbside or Convenience Centers

Davidson Co. Recycling Locations

What if I don’t have curbside or a local convenience center?

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.
  • Rinse all items to remove food residue.
  • Always make sure your 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. To recycle styrofoam, visit the East Convenience Center in Davidson County.
  • Never add clothing or other textiles to recycling. 
  • Never add food waste or yard waste to recycling.
  • 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.

For items that don’t go in your recycling bin/convenience center

Recycling Resources

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!

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.