Original Date: 04/22/1996
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

The Warner Park Recycle Center is a city owned and operated facility that provides a full service, drop-off recycle facility conveniently accessible to Chattanooga residents and businesses. The Center also has a dynamic Outreach Program designed to encourage waste reduction, as well as a recycling and a Recycle Express Program to bridge the collection gap.

Started in 1991, the Recycle Center at Warner Park accepts Type I and II plastics, aluminum cans, lumber, recyclable paper, and glass and is manned and open six days a week. The facility collected 1,600 tons of recyclable material in 1995 which amounted to $100K in revenues from sale of the materials.

Besides providing a collection site for residents and businesses, the Center has an Outreach Program designed to encourage and educate its citizens in waste reduction and recycling. This service includes providing speakers at various public and private functions, performing audits, and participating in school programs. Another program created by the Warner Park Recycle Center is the Recycle Express Program which the City provides as a special collection service for residents and businesses that lack the resources to deliver their materials to the drop-off facility. One major barrier to recycling is material collection, especially for businesses, non-profit agencies, and government activities. Many want to recycle but lack the resources to deliver their materials to the drop-off facility. The Recycle Express Program was developed to bridge this collection gap. The City serves over 378 clients through this program including free material collection, a waste audit, program start-up assistance, and employee education. Clients provide their own collection containers and the City schedules pick-up to accommodate the individual client.

The Warner Park Recycle Center's recycling activities are in compliance with the Tennessee Solid Waste Act of 1991. The Center has provided effective waste management services to its residents, reduced waste going to landfills, provided recycling opportunities to its residents, and developed and facilitated markets for its recyclable materials.

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.