Recycling Partnership invests in Nashville recycling

A combined $2.8 million grant from The Recycling Partnership, Falls Church, Virginia, and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) with special support from beauty brand Love Beauty and Planet will more than double the frequency of recycling collection in Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee, from once a month to every other week. 

The metropolitan government of Nashville and Davidson County (Metro Nashville) will use the multimillion-dollar grant to buy 16 collection vehicles and provide 8,000 additional recycling carts to households, allowing them to access curbside recycling services. The Recycling Partnership will also provide funding and expert technical assistance to Metro Nashville to implement a jurisdiction-wide education and outreach campaign to support its curbside recycling program. 

“We have a high quality of life here in Nashville, but it's my job to always work to improve it,” says Mayor David Briley. “By upping recycling collection and enhancing our education campaign around it, we can continue to make our city greener and more sustainable. I am grateful for these grants and our partners in this effort. I know it will go a long way towards making our city an even more beautiful place.”

According to a news release from The Recycling Partnership, the recycling improvement program will affect more than 139,000 Metro Nashville households and is expected to be fully implemented by early 2020. 

“This funding from the Partnership and TDEC enables us to positively impact a massive amount of Davidson County residents,” says Mark Sturtevant, Metro Nashville public works director. “We've been waiting a long time to go from monthly to every-other-week collection. Public works is thrilled to finally be able to improve our recycling program and collect more quality recyclables at the curb.”

“The grant to Metro Nashville is a powerful example of how partnership can drive real change,” says Rob Taylor, director of grants and community development at The Recycling Partnership. “TDEC’s support combined with donations from our funding partners, especially Love Beauty and Planet, make this work possible. Increasing collection frequency and growing access to recycling service while providing education to residents is a comprehensive model for recycling success.”