Knoxville Zero Waste Guide

KnoxFill is more than a zero waste refillery. We're here to make zero waste easy - through resources, education, and of course through our refills and zero waste goods. We've created this Zero Waste Guide to help you know how to sustainably dispose of items you no longer need.

It's important to remember the order of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Reducing (and refusing) comes first and is one of the best ways to practice sustainability. It's impossible to not generate some waste over time, but what we do with it can greatly impact its sustainability. Learn how to dispose of items in the most sustainable way possible, from reusing to repurposing to recycling and more.

Curbside & Drop-off Recycling

Curbside

If you live in the city limits, Knoxville offers free curbside recycling. Go to this website to sign up. Plastic containers #1 & #2, metals (aluminum, steel, & tin cans), mixed paper (including coated paper cups, plates, bowls, cartons), newspaper, and cardboard are accepted in your curbside container. No glass or plastic bags - both of these are common contaminants that harm the system. If you want to learn more about Knoxville's curbside recycling and drop-off centers, visit the City's website for information.

Anyone living in Knox County but outside the city limits has the option to pay for a curbside recycling bin through private waste management companies. County curbside has the same recycling guidelines as the city, as they both are sorted at West Rock. It's often helpful to ask neighbors who they use for curbside trash and recycling services, as going with the same provider can sometimes be more cost-effective.

City of Knoxville Drop-off Centers

To recycle glass visit one of the city's five recycling drop-off centers (where you can also recycle #1 & #2 plastics, metals, mixed paper, newspaper, and cardboard!). Information and locations can be found here. Check out the City's Household Hazardous Waste Facility for how to dispose of any items that can't be put in the trash or poured down the drain.

Knox County Drop-off Centers

There are several Knox County Drop-Off Centers around town with a wide range of materials accepted (i.e., car batteries, tires, fluorescent bulbs, carpet). View a list of accepted items and locations here.

UT Public Drop-off Center

A lesser-known option for recycling in Knoxville is the University of Tennessee Public Recycling Drop-off Center. It is located at 2121 Stephenson Drive Dock 24 and is open 24/7. The UT Public Drop-off accepts all the materials accepted at the City Drop-off Centers (including glass) as well as other harder to recycle items such as the following:

  • Scrap metal: steel/iron, aluminum, clean copper, brass
  • Batteries
  • Wooden and plastic pallets
  • Plastic film and bags
  • Electronic waste
  • Printer and toner cartridges

Please visit the UT Recycling Drop-off website for more information on what can be recycled there.

Fourth & Glass

Fourth & Glass is a curbside glass recycling service that opened in 2023. They offer subscriptions for glass collection and recycle it locally, collaborate with local makers for reuse, and even host mason jar giveaways at KnoxFill occasionally. Learn more here.

Recycling by the Material (A to Z)

Batteries

  • Batteries + Bulbs - see accepted items here
  • Home Depot (only rechargeable batteries)
  • Knox County recycling drop-off centers (car/motorcycle batteries only)
  • KnoxFill (only alkaline batteries)
  • Lowe's (only rechargeable batteries)
  • UT Recycling public drop-off - see accepted items here

Beauty products & packaging

  • KnoxFill (includes glass beauty packaging, plastic dispenses and tubes, aluminum tubes, and more) - see accepted items here

Blades, razors, & packaging

  • KnoxFill - see accepted items here

Books - DONATING

  • Children's Diversity and Justice Library (children's diversity and justice books) - see more info here, and call ahead before donating
  • Friends of the Knox Count Library (500 W Church Ave) - see more info here
  • KnoxFill - we love environmental, sustainability, and nature-inspired books for our Community Library 
  • McKay's Knoxville
  • Used bookstores around Knoxville - if you have a popular book in good quality, consider calling local used bookstores to see if they could use it

Bulbs 

  • Batteries + Bulbs - see accepted items here
  • Home Depot (only compact fluorescent light bulbs)
  • Knox County drop-off centers (fluorescent light bulbs)
  • Lowe's (only compact fluorescent light bulbs)

Cardboard / paperboard

  • City of Knoxville recycling drop-off centers
  • Curbside recycling bin (City or County)
  • Knox County recycling drop-off centers
  • UT Recycling Public drop-off

Clothing / textiles - DONATING

Only donate clothing / textiles that are clean and in good condition. For clothing / textiles in bad condition, see below for recycling options.

  • City of Knoxville recycling drop-off centers (to be donated to Goodwill)
  • Sustainable Fabric Workshop (clean fabrics / textiles may be donated for projects) - see their Facebook page for more info
  • Thrift stores and charities - try local ones first!
  • UT Free Store - see accepted items here
  • Young Williams Animal Center and Animal Village (blankets and towels)
  • Humane Society of the Tennessee Valley (blankets and towels)

Clothing / textiles - RECYCLING

For clothing / textiles in bad condition, reuse as rags or recycle with a resource below.

  • Terracycle (paid zero waste box, online program) - more info for clothing / textiles and FREE baby clothes recycling
  • Thousand Fell x SuperCircle (recycle clothes and earn store credit) - more info here 
  • Trashie (paid recycling bag, online program) - more info here

Corks

  • KnoxFill (natural and synthetic) - see accepted items here

Electronic waste

  • Knox County recycling drop-off centers (only four locations)
  • City of Knoxville Solid Waste Management Facility at 1033 Elm St.
  • UT Recycling Public drop-off
  • eCycle of Knoxville - see accepted items here
  • Goodwill: see accepted items here
  • Batteries + Bulbs - see accepted items here
  • Lowe's (rechargeable batteries, cell phones)
  • Best Buy: see list here (even offers discounts on certain items)

Food waste

  • Please see our food waste and composting section below

Glass bottles / jars

  • City of Knoxville recycling drop-off centers
  • KnoxFill (clean, smell-free jars with lids) - see o ur container guidelines here
  • UT Recycling Public drop-off
  • Fourth & Glass curbside recycling subscription

Jars / containers

  • KnoxFill (clean, smell-free jars and containers with lids) - see our container guidelines here

Jeans / denim

  • American Eagle (recycles any brand jeans for $10 off new pair)
  • Anthropology (recycles any brand jeans for discount on new pair)
  • Madewell (recycles any brand jeans for $20 off new pair, online or in-store) - more info here
  • Zappos x Blue Jeans Go Green (online mail-in program, must be at least 90% cotton) - more info here

    Kroger brand packaging

    • Kroger mail-in program (recycles all Kroger brands via Terracycle) - learn more and sign up here

    Metal cans & lids (aluminum, steel, tin)

    • Curbside recycling bin (City or County)
    • City of Knoxville recycling drop-off centers
    • Knox County recycling drop-off centers
    • UT Recycling Public drop-off

        Oral care waste

        • KnoxFill (includes toothpaste tubes, floss containers, mouthwash bottles, and more) - see accepted items here

        Packing Materials

        • Package Manager on Kingston Pike accepts clean packing peanuts, boxes, bubble wrap, and other packaging supplies
        • UT Recycling Public drop-off (bubblewrap and plastic film)

        Pallets (wood & plastic)

        • UT Recycling Public drop-off

        Paper (mixed) / newspaper

        • Curbside recycling bin (City or County)
        • City of Knoxville recycling drop-off centers
        • Humane Society of TN Valley 
        • Knox County recycling drop-off centers
        • UT Recycling Public drop-off
        • Young Williams Animal Center and Animal Village (newspaper only)
        • Humane Society of the Tennessee Valley (newspaper only)

        Pet food bags

        • Agri Feed Pet Supply on Middlebrook Pike (only Open Farm and Earthborn brands pet food and treat bags)
        • Agri Feed Pet Supply on Kingston Pike (only Venture and Earthborn brands pet food and treat bags)
        • Pet Supplies Plus (all brands of pet food bags and treat bags) - see accepted items here

        Pill bottles

        • Young Williams Animal Center and Animal Village (clean pill bottles with lids for reuse)

        Plastic bags & film

        • Kroger, Food City, Publix, or Walmart (recycling usually located near shopping carts or near entrance)
        • Lowe's (usually found near customer service desk)
        • UT Recycling Public drop-off

        Plastic containers (#1 & #2)

        • Curbside recycling bin (City or County)
        • City of Knoxville recycling drop-off centers
        • Knox County recycling drop-off centers
        • UT Recycling Public drop-off

        Plastics, hard (refrigerator trays, plastic shelves, etc.)

        • UT Recycling Public drop-off

        Plastic planter pots

        • Sustainable Future Center in South Knox (in good quality, for reuse) - call David Bolt at 865-603-0520 to schedule drop-off

        Printer & toner cartridges

        • UT Recycling Public drop-off
        • Goodwill: see list of accepted items here
        • Batteries + Bulbs: see accepted items here
        • Best Buy: see list here (offers discounts on new toners)

        Scrap metal

        • City of Knoxville Solid Waste Facility
        • Knox County recycling drop-off centers
        • UT Recycling Public drop-off
        • SA Recycling (may even offer cash for your metals) - more info here

        Shoes

        • Designer Shoe Warehouse in Turkey Creek (shoes in good condition for donation with Soles for Souls)
        • Got Sneakers (sneakers only, online program) - more info here
        • KnoxFill (sneakers only, through Got Sneakers)
        • Terracycle (paid zero waste box, online program) - more info for here

        Socks

        • REI off Papermill Drive (SmartWool recycling box at the front of their store for clean socks of any brand and material) - see more info here
        • Thrift stores (in good condition for reuse)

        Styrofoam (clean foodware only)

        • Publix at University Commons - bins located inside on first level near the stairs (cups, trays, meat packs, egg cartons, and to-go clamshells)
        • Publix at Northshore Town Center - bins located outside to the right of the entrance doors (cups, trays, meat packs, egg cartons, and to-go clamshells)

        Water filters

        • RecycleWaterFilters.com recycles a variety of water filters - see more info here

        Yard waste / green waste

        • City of Knoxville residents have free curbside yard waste and leaf pickup - see more info here
        • Private companies (paid drop-off) - see more info here

          Miscellaneous items

          Donating can be a great way to get rid of items that are no longer wanted but are still in good condition. Knoxville has many options for donating items like furniture, appliances, trinkets, and other household items. We recommend donating to local thrift stores first. The City of Knoxville also has some more recycling resources here.

          • AmVets off Seven Oaks Drive
          • Goodwill - see accepted items here
          • Habitat for Humanity ReStore off Downtown West Blvd - see accepted items here
          • Knox Area Rescue Ministries (KARM) - see accepted items here
          • Terracycle (variety of paid recycling options) - visit their website

          Hazardous items

          Some items are hard to dispose of because they can't be recycled, put in the trash, or poured down the drain. The City of Knoxville's Hazardous Waste Facility takes items like acids, cooking oil, herbicides, cleaners, paints and stains, and more. Find more information including a list of accepted items here.

          Composting in Knoxville

          Reducing Food Waste

          According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, up to 40% of food intended for consumption in the United States goes uneaten, most of it ending up in the landfill where it generates methane, a greenhouse gas 86 times more powerful than CO2. Becoming more efficient in our food purchases and use is a crucial component in reducing food waste. Check out the NRDC's guide to reducing food waste for ideas in reducing your own food waste. For the food scraps and food waste that you can't avoid, composting is the next best option.

          Where and How to Compost

          If you're lucky enough to live somewhere with a yard, home composting is a great option. For more information on home composting, check out the city's useful home composting guide.

          The City of Knoxville started the Knoxville Compost Project in February 2022, allowing people to drop-off food scraps for free composting. There are currently three drop-off sites, plus a seasonal site (listed below). Be sure to review their guidelines and take their Compost Quiz to get the code for the locked bins.

          • Downtown: Old City - 227 Willow Ave
          • East: Chilhowee Park/Magnolia Ave - 210 Alice St
          • South: Chapman Highway - 225 W. Moody Ave.
          • Seasonal: Market Square Farmers Market

          Sharewaste.com is another great resource to find compost drop-off locations near you. We have several locations in Knoxville - visit their website and search the map to find one near you.