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Jackson Recycling Program Mission: To educate and provide cost-effective opportunities to reduce, reuse, and recycle waste in a sustainable manner in the city of Jackson and to encourage citizens to “re-think” outside the trash.

City of Jackson, TN Recycling Center

Jackson Recycling Center Mission: To support our recycling program mission by providing opportunities to recycle cardboard, paper, plastics #1 and #2, and metals in a city-centered area that is available and affordable for all residents.

The Jackson Recycle Center procedures and best practices are of importance as the center will be impacted by several variables including contamination, weather, absence of operators, and the ability to timely empty bins. The recommended operations schedule and procedures detailed here will help keep the recycling center efficient, effective, and environmentally safe.


RECYCLING CENTER LOCATION:

     JACKSON, TN RECYCLING CENTER LOCATION is city-centered at:
          74B Conalco Drive 
Jackson, TN 38301

Daily Schedule:

JACKSON RECYCLING CENTER HOURS:
          Tuesday – Friday: 8:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. and 2:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M.
          Saturday: 7:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. and 2:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M.

               ***Please note center is closed from 1:00 p.m.- 2:00 p.m. daily.

CLOSED FOR ALL CITY OBSERVED HOLIDAYS:

            2024 HOLIDAYS THAT AFFECT THE RECYCLING CENTER:          

                            Good Friday:      Friday, April 18th, 2025  

                            Juneteenth:        Thursday, June 19th, 2025

                            July 4th:              Friday, July 4th, 2025

                            Thanksgiving:     Thursday, November 27th, 2025

                            Thanksgiving:     Friday, November 28th, 2025

                            Christmas Eve:   Wednesday, December 24th, 2025

                            Christmas:          Thursday, December 25th, 2025

 

ASSISTANCE OR EDUCATION FOR RESIDENTS:
    Public is expected to properly sort their materials themselves. The materials will be sorted by residents and accepted in the categorized recycling bins. Attendants will be available to help educate residents on proper recycling and center processes which will allow us to recycle these items at no cost to residents. Education is a priority for our recycling and doing so in one location produces a uniform process and message while reducing manageable costs like contamination. The attendant is there to be a resource for the resident and will be available to help with any questions by educating on the items accepted, items not accepted, and best practices for the facility. Attendants will view all materials residents bring into the facility to place in the recycling bins in order to scan for contamination.

PUBLIC TRAFFIC ROUTING:
    The center is designed to be efficient and reduce traffic incidents by routing traffic in a counter clockwise direction. All traffic will be routed through the center by attendants, signage, and directional arrows will help with the traffic flow.

PUBLIC SAFETY, SCHEDULE, AND VISITOR POLICY:
    ONLY attendants are allowed in the recycling center building. In case of inclement weather or mechanical issues at the facility, the facility will remain closed to the public until remedied. Jackson Recycle Center will observe all city of Jackson recognized holidays which will result in some closures. Please refer to www.jacksontn.gov and/or the City of Jackson, TN's social media pages for closures or information. 

RECOVERABLE ITEMS ACCEPTED:
   Materials need to be rinsed out and free of food. There is no need to wash extensively or with soap. Follow the
“WHEN IN DOUBT, THROW IT OUT” rule to reduce contamination.

CARDBOARD & PAPERBOARD Sorted separately from other mixed paper materials and must be broken down.

  • Cardboard Boxes
  • Thin Paperboard Boxes:
    • Cereal and Food Boxes 

 

MIXED PAPER is to be sorted into the same bin.

  • Newspaper
    • All newspaper goes to the Animal Center when needed.
  • Magazines
  • Junk Mail
  • Shredded Paper
    • ** SHREDDED PAPER MUST BE IN A CLEAR TIED BAG*

 

PLASTICS #1 and #2:

  • Materials need to be rinsed out and free of food. There is no need to wash extensively or with soap.

  • Most plastics will be coded on the bottom. Check the packaging for the type of plastics.
  • Lids and labels can be left on the empty bottles.

  • Most plastics #1 and #2 will be drinking bottles and cleaning supplies.

  • No black plastics are accepted as they hinder the chemical recycling of plastic materials.

METALS can be sorted by type of use or size

Beverage Containers:

  • Beverage cans of any type - empty and uncrushed

                 Food Containers:

  • Food cans of any kind - empty and uncrushed

         Large Miscellaneous Metal:

  • All other metals - doorknobs, metal piping, plumbing, odds  and ends, home goods, etc.

What can I do with my recycling other than the Jackson Recycling Center?
   For resources on where you can recycle most common items outside of the Jackson Recycle Center, please visit the “Bulk Debris and Recycling Business Resource List” under the Health & Sanitation Department page.

Are my items actually being recycled at the Jackson Recycling Center? 

    Yes! It is important that we divert as much recycled materials as possible from our local municipal waste streams and landfills. The accepted items at our center will be taken to local vendors to complete the next phase of the recycling process. From there, they will transport materials to their various vendors who accept each of those streams. Each of these partners produce certificates guaranteeing proof of recycling.

Where are the old park recycling bins?

The current recycling bins are located at the Jackson Recycling Center city-centered location of 74B Conalco Drive Jackson, TN 38301.

This location will allow us to recycle these items at no cost to residents in a supervised center open 5 days per week. 

What is recycling?

Recycling is the process of collecting and processing materials to turn them into new products that would otherwise be thrown away in trash and go to a landfill. Our recycling program model is Re-Thinking Recycling: Reuse, Reduce, and Recycle.

Why recycle?

The growing population of the world is consuming more and more items that are not able to broken down in natural ways. Recycling and being mindful of the types of products we use helps reduce pollution of our air, water, and land. It also helps conserve energy, reduce greenhouse gasses, and conserve our vital natural resources. Here are some facts from the EPA and what we can accomplish with recycling, reducing, and reusing EPA.gov:

  • Recycling one ton of office paper can save the energy equivalent of consuming 322 gallons of gasoline.
  • Recycling just one ton of aluminum cans conserves more than 152 million Btu, the equivalent of 1,024 gallons of gasoline or 21 barrels of oil consumed.
  • Plastic bottles are the most recycled plastic product in the United States as of 2018, according to our most recent report. Recycling just 10 plastic bottles saves enough energy to power a laptop for more than 25 hours.

EPA.gov 

What is contamination and why is it a factor?

The ability to easily recycle most items has changed and been limited by import and export laws from multiple countries. For example, the operation National Sword China enacted explained that contamination in recycling is one of the key factors for these changes. Contamination is anything that is uncategorized for that specific stream. When most think of contamination, one thinks of something hazardous, gross, or old items; however, recycling facility contamination includes items that do not belong to that category of sorting. Why does that matter? Well, for instance, an aluminum pie pan that makes its way into Plastics #1 and #2 recycling streams would need to be removed, which takes more labor and potential shut down of the sorting line to do so. But even more detrimental are items like plastic bags and straws which can stretch around gears, melt, clog the sorting lines, and/or create a lack in operation of that machine for a short time or completely render it unusable. This reduces productivity and thus profit, so most recycling facilities do not accept these products. As a best practice, any organic materials or matter like food and liquid should be removed before placing in a curbside bin or transporting to a facility. This helps keep the facilities cleaner, operational, and safer.

 

Who can I contact to discuss current recycling, questions, and/or concerns about recycling?

The city of Jackson has a Recycling Coordinator to help educate, administer recycling programs, and answer residents’ questions about recycling and sustainability. They can be contacted at the Health and Sanitation office under the option for recycling.

 

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