BearSaver Helps Tennessee State Parks Meet Recycling Goals

BearSaver is pleased to be a trusted brand that is used parks and other locations around the country. In fact, the BearSaver name is backed by such a positive reputation that the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) recently decided to add BearSaver receptacles to all 56 of its State Parks.

Taking the Lead in Waste Management and Recycling

By adding BearSaver recycling receptacles to all of its parks, the TDEC hopes to be a leader in terms of waste reduction and promoting the overall sustainability of its park system. Brock Hill, deputy commissioner with the TDEC, further emphasized in a recent statement that promoting recycling within the state’s park system will help with “meeting the needs of our visitors and upholding our responsibility to protect Tennessee’s public lands and natural resources.”

As part of this process, the TDEC purchased more than 400 BearSaver recycling receptacles to place throughout its parks. These receptacles are set up to receive aluminum, plastic, paper, and glass along with general trash within the parks. As part of the Tennessee State Parks “Go Green With Us” initiative, the bins were purchased with funding provided by the TDEC’s Division of Solid Waste Management.

Go Green in Tennessee

Tennessee’s Go Green With Us initiative strives to protect and preserve the parks through sustainable operations, resource conservation, and recycling. Started in 2015, the program has already made many changes within the park system. Not only are many campgrounds now served with dumpsters and recycling bins, but some restaurants are also now composting food scrap waste while also growing kitchen gardens containing fresh vegetables and herbs for the restaurant to use.  

26 of the state’s parks have also been recognized for taking steps toward preserving and enhancing their wildlife habitat while also improving their initiatives toward protecting land and water resources. Some notable initiatives have included:

• Henry Horton State Park is home to the Governor’s Table Restaurant, which composts food scraps and uses a greenhouse and a garden to provide produce for the restaurant.
• Norris Dam State Park has built recycling bins and a divided recycling trailer
• Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park is the first Tennessee State Park to become 100 percent upgraded to LEDs throughout the park
• Montgomery Bell State Park has implemented an on-site composting operation and participated in the EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge, which saved the park almost $4,000 in diverted solid waste fees.

“Our goal for these improvements,” said Larry Christley of the Division of Solid Waste Management when discussing the new BearSaver receptacles, “is to not only divert waste from landfills but to also increase awareness of the importance of recycling to state park visitors.”

All of the BearSaver receptacles are made of heavy-duty materials that are both weatherproof and rustproof. Designed specifically to keep bears and other pests out of the trash and recycling inside, the bins are ADA-compliant and designed to create a uniform appearance at all of the state’s parks. In this way, the parks hope to make it easier for visitors to identify the receptacles while also further informing them about their options for waste disposal. Ultimately, the park system hopes to encourage more visitors to recycle while in the park as well as when outside of the park.