recycling Archives - Oak Ridge Today

Christmas tree recycling available in Oak Ridge

Posted at 5:11 pm December 30, 2018
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Employees to assist with drop-offs on two Saturdays in January

The City of Oak Ridge has two drop-off locations available for citizens to recycle their Christmas trees after the holidays. Signs will be posted in both locations. The drop-offs are:

Big Turtle Park, 2525 Oak Ridge Turnpike (parking lot)
Solway Park, 205 Edgemoor Road (parking lot adjacent to the boat launch)

Trees will be accepted any time through the end of January 2019. On Saturday, January 12, and Saturday, January 19, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department employees will be on site to assist with unloading trees at the Big Turtle Park drop-off location from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Please be sure to remove all tinsel and decorations from Christmas trees before dropping them off for recycling, a press release said. Wreaths and garland will also be accepted, but no brush.

For more information, contact the Recreation and Parks Department by phone at (865) 425-3450 or visit their departmental website at orrecparks.oakridgetn.gov.

Waste Connections suspends glass recycling

Posted at 12:48 pm December 22, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 7 Comments

Note: This story was updated at 1:20 p.m.

Waste Connections of Tennessee has announced that beginning January 1, 2017, they will suspend glass recycling for their curbside pickup program in Oak Ridge in an effort to remain “dedicated to maintaining a healthy and strong recycling program for all residents,” a press release said.

“Markets for recyclable materials ebb and flow, and changes in glass markets have made this change in service necessary,” Doug McGill, municipal marketing manager for Waste Connections Inc., said in a recent letter to Oak Ridge officials. “By removing glass from curbside collection, we will preserve the overall integrity of our recycling program.”

A City of Oak Ridge press release said McGill went on to say that the processor of recyclables in Knoxville will stop accepting single-stream recycling glass after the first of the year, as will most processing companies across the country. [Read more…]

BES Technologies celebrates one million gallons of recycled water

Posted at 10:54 am May 8, 2015
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BES Technologies LLC, or BEST, has reached a major milestone by recycling one million gallons of radiological waste water through its laundry operations at the East Tennessee Technology Park.

“This represents the prevention of one million gallons of water that would have gone into our environment, but instead was cleaned and re-used,” a press release said. “This recycling process not only avoids environmental insult, but also allows for savings to be passed on to customers by cleaning and reusing water.”

The press release said the laundering service uses a state-of-the-art radiological water treatment system, and it is able to reuse more than 70 percent of the water used in its process. [Read more…]

Earth Day Festival is April 25 at A.K. Bissell Park

Posted at 10:39 am April 10, 2015
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Pictured above is a special recycling event at Earth Day Festival.

Keep Anderson County Beautiful will host the eighth annual Earth Day festival in Oak Ridge on Saturday, April 25, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at A.K. Bissell Park.

East Tennessee residents living in or around Oak Ridge are invited to participate in the festival, organizers said. It features free activities and events that promote healthy living and environmental education, and that encourage individuals to create and contribute to a sustainable community.

Sponsored in major part by KACB and Leidos, Earth Day will feature outdoor games for children, music, healthy food vendors, exhibitors showcasing educational booths, an on-site scavenger hunt, and neighborhood games such as hopscotch, bocce, croquet, flying discs, ladder ball and a special reduce, reuse, recycle game. There will be a special area for preschool children. [Read more…]

Recycle electronics, other items; shred documents on Saturday

Posted at 3:38 pm November 7, 2014
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You can recycle certain electronics and other items and shred documents during a recycling event on Oak Ridge Turnpike on Saturday.

The recycling program is sponsored by Keep Anderson County Beautiful. It is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, November 8, at the Potter’s Clearance Center next to Willow Ridge Garden Center.

It’s part of the national America Recycles Day, sponsored by Keep America Beautiful.

During the local event, Scott Recycling of Knoxville will collect old computers and peripherals, cell phones, rechargeable and button batteries, compact fluorescent light bulbs (no tubes), used books (not text books), and eyeglasses. For televisions, there is a charge of $20/TV and $1 per CRT computer monitor because of current expenses associated with recycling CRT screens. No TV cabinetry will be accepted. Scott Recycling from Knoxville will be recycling the electronics. [Read more…]

Traffic Safety, Environmental Advisory board member running for City Council

Posted at 9:42 pm October 24, 2014
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Aditya “Doc” Savara

Aditya “Doc” Savara, a member of two city boards, is running for Oak Ridge City Council in the November 4 municipal election.

In a press release, Savara said he has been involved in local politics during the past two years and served on the Traffic Safety Advisory Board and the Environmental Quality Advisory Board. Savara said he has attended and commented during public comment periods at City Council meetings, is knowledgeable about the issues facing the city, and has been vocal about them.

“In 2012-2013, an ordinance came before Oak Ridge City Council regarding whether property owners Jack and Myra Mansfield could build a single home on their property in a neighborhood zoned as R1, for single-family dwellings,” Savara said in the release. “Adjacent homeowners asserted property values would drop if the Mansfields were allowed to build a home on the open space. I pointed out that the neighbors could have bought the open property themselves if they wanted to keep it as open space. I stated that the neighbors didn’t want to buy the cow, but wanted to have the milk for free, and that it was not too late for the neighbors to make the Mansfields a fair offer. [Read more…]

Engineering design contractor running for City Council

Posted at 11:26 pm October 7, 2014
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Gary Love

Gary Love, an engineering design contractor, is running for Oak Ridge City Council in the November 4 municipal election.

“I am a proud native of Oak Ridge—and I am ready to roll up my sleeves to work with the people to make this community an even better place to live in the 21st century,” Love said in a press release.

Love said he grew up in the Woodland Community and graduated from Oak Ridge High School in 1974. After graduating from East Tennessee State University in 1979 with a degree in biology, he went to work for the city of Chattanooga.

Later, he extended his education with a two-year degree in computer engineering and joined the Electric Power Board of Chattanooga, where he spent 18 years as a power design engineer, the press release said.

“I’m glad to be back in Oak Ridge, where I live with my wife, Toni,” Love said. “We have three grown children, including my son, who now works with me at Tennessee Valley Authority, where I work as a contractor in engineering design. We also have a teenage granddaughter.” [Read more…]

ORISE recognized by EPA as Federal Green Challenge award winner

Posted at 1:19 pm June 19, 2014
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The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education received a 2014 Federal Green Challenge award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for improving its water consumption levels and its electronic sustainability and recycling efforts in 2013 by the highest percentage increase compared to the previous year in the Southeast region. ORISE is managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities for the U.S. Department of Energy.

According to the EPA website, the 2014 Federal Green Challenge award winners are recognized “for their outstanding efforts and for their leadership in reducing the environmental footprint of federal government activities.”

“ORISE reduced its water consumption by 60 percent in 2013 with the majority of the improvement resulting from a more efficient, automated sprinkler system with a moisture sensor used for some of its landscaping, which would only irrigate when the soil was dry,” said Tom Wantland, director of ORAU’s environment, safety, and health programs. “If moisture from rain was present, the irrigation system would automatically detect it, and the system would not operate.” [Read more…]

Forecast calls for good weather for Earth Day Festival on Saturday

Posted at 6:53 pm April 23, 2014
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Submitted

With temperatures forecasted to be 80 degrees and no chance of rain, it looks like Saturday will be a great day to celebrate our lush green environment and play outdoors. Keep Anderson County Beautiful will be hosting the seventh annual Earth Day Festival from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at A.K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge.

A big emphasis in this year’s festival will be showing children how to play ”neighborhood games” that require simple instructions and no costly equipment. Believe it or not some kids don’t know how to play hopscotch or play double jump rope (see demo here) or even sing the child’s rhythmic, ” Strawberry Shortcake, huckleberry pie…”

Many other simple games will be demonstrated with time for kids to learn how to play. Student chess club players will help novices learn how to play with large and traditional size chess pieces. There will be a recycle relay and basketball free throw, bocce, croquet, flying discs, and ladder ball. Prizes will be offered. [Read more…]

Earth Day to feature free activities, events for healthy living, environmental education

Posted at 7:41 pm April 14, 2014
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The IJAMS Nature Center booth is pictured above during Earth Day 2009. (File photo)

The seventh annual Earth Day festival will feature free activities and events that promote healthy living and environmental education, and encourage individuals to create and contribute to a sustainable community, a press release said.

The festival is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 26 at Alvin K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge.

It’s hosted by Keep Anderson County Beautiful.

There will be a Trashformations art exhibit created by local area students made from recycled/found materials. There will also be outdoor games and races for children, a bike rodeo for kids, healthy food vendors, exhibitors showcasing educational booths, and neighborhood games such as hopscotch, bocce, croquet, flying discs, ladder ball, and a special reduce, reuse, recycle game. There will also be a special area for pre-school children. [Read more…]

Special recycling on Saturday includes old computers, TVs, cell phones

Posted at 12:05 pm November 8, 2013
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Keep Anderson County Beautiful is having a special recycling program at the Potter’s Clearance Center on Oak Ridge Turnpike on Saturday.

During the special recycling event, volunteers will collect old computers and peripherals, televisions (no cabinetry), cell phones, rechargeable and button batteries, fluorescent light bulbs (tubes and compact), used books (but not textbooks), and eyeglasses.

Personal document shredding will also be offered courtesy of ORNL Federal Credit Union from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., a press release said. [Read more…]

Willow Brook Elementary gets $1,000 for Top 10 recycling program

Posted at 9:17 am November 2, 2013
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 1 Comment

Willow Brook Elementary Recycling Reward Grant

Bob Kesling, left, University of Tennessee broadcasting director and lead play-by-play voice of the Vol Network, and Teresa Shaffer, right, with Eastman Chemical Co. present Willow Brook Elementary School with its award as one of the top environmental programs in Tennessee schools. (Submitted photo)

Students at Willow Brook Elementary School in Oak Ridge were rewarded for their environmental efforts with $1,000 for having one of the top 10 school recycling programs in the state of Tennessee through the Good Sports Always Recycle, or GSAR, program.

Peter Blair and Christian Goethert from Willow Brook were recognized during an on-field presentation at the University of Tennessee vs. South Carolina football game, a press release said.

“We were so excited to learn that we were selected as one of the Good Sports Always Recycle school challenge winners,” Principal Lisa Light said. “We are proud to do our part in our community and are committed to teaching our students the importance of recycling. We are honored by this recognition and look forward to using this monetary award to strengthen our program.” [Read more…]