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Recycling in Kingsport

Read More: Recycling Press Release Issued August 14, 2023

Beginning Wednesday, August 23, Kingsport Streets and Sanitation crews and a third party contractor will begin collecting all blue lid carts from residents who HAVE NOT notified the city of their intent to keep the cart and start paying the additional monthly fee.

The collection date is based on your regularly scheduled garbage day and is as follows:

  • 8/23: Wednesday route.
  • 8/31: Thursday route.
  • 9/8: Friday route.
  • 9/18: Monday route.
  • 9/26: Tuesday route.

Please place your cart at the curb on your normal collection day and leave it there until it is picked up.  It may take up to 7 business days to collect your cart.

NOTE – Residents will not be charged the monthly fee for the blue lid cart unless they have notified the city that they want to keep it as an additional garbage cart.

If you have any further questions about this collection process, call 423-229-9451 or 423-229-9400.

Read More: Recycling Press Release Issued June 19, 2023

The City of Kingsport will start collecting blue lid recycling carts from residents in mid-June. Residents may keep blue totes at no charge to continue collecting recyclables for delivery to recycling convenience centers.

Recycling FAQ

To create and maintain effective and efficient operations, the City of Kingsport will shift from the curbside collection of recyclable material to convenience center drop-off locations.

The shift will save Kingsport more than $850,000 annually amid a collapsed market for recyclable material. The recycling program has not been active since its pause in 2020 due to the degraded market.

Additionally, the transition to convenience centers will allow for the highest level of the material collected to be beneficially reused due to the ability to control the quality of each stream.

When all recyclable material is placed into one cart in a “mixed” state for curbside collection, there is a higher chance of contamination that leads to items becoming unsuitable for reuse. Separating recyclables by specific materials to drop off at any of the convenience centers will significantly decrease the risk of contamination and materials going to the landfill.

Recycling contamination occurs when materials are not properly cleaned or when materials are incorrectly sorted. When collecting recyclable materials and sorting into bins, anything other than that specific material – even other recyclable materials – can be considered a contaminant.

Keep recyclables separated in bins and make sure all items are clean and dry to reduce the risk of recycling contamination.

Private, local providers can supply curbside collection of recyclable materials.

Residents may call Streets & Sanitation at 423-229-9451 to request an additional cart.

No, customers do not own their blue lid cart, nor were they ever charged for it.

Recycling Convenience Centers

Items recycled at convenience centers:

  • Newspaper and inserts
  • Magazines
  • Junk mail
  • Phone books
  • Shredded paper
  • Home office paper products (fax sheets, typing paper, receipts, envelopes)
  • Cardboard
  • Tin and aluminum cans

Items not recycled at convenience centers:

  • Glass food and beverage containers
  • Plastics
  • Plastic wrap
  • Plastic containers containing automotive products or hazardous materials
  • Food wrappers or anything that doesn’t tear cannot be accepted
  • Plastic bags (can take to Walmart, Food City, or Kroger)
  • Batteries (can take to Batteries Plus or Lowe’s)
  • Light bulbs (can take to Lowe’s)
  • Electronics (can take to the Sullivan County Transfer Station; does not include televisions)

*Please call retailers to confirm acceptance before taking items.

Prescription and Over-the-Counter Medication: Kingsport Police Department has a drop box in the interior lobby of the Justice Center located at 200 Shelby Street. Sullivan County also has a drop box at their Blountville facility.

Hazardous Household Chemicals & Pesticides: Accepted once a year at the Hazardous Household Waste Collection held by Sullivan County Solid Waste and the State of TN. The event date is set by the state, but residents can call 423-323-6439 to find out more information.

Locations:

Link to: City of Kingsport
City of Kingsport, Tennessee