Alabama City Gets Set to Expand Curb Program

The city of Tuscaloosa, Alabama City Council late last week approved a measure to increase the number of households in the city that can take part in the city-operated collection program.

The vote, Sept. 25, gives the city’s recycling department the finances to purchase an additional collection truck, as well as collection bins for residents in the city.

At the present time the city offers curbside collection service to around 4,000 households. That number, says Shane Dougherty, director of the recycling division, is expected to grow by 50 percent once the program begins.

At the present time, Dougherty says, the city will be looking to purchase a truck to handle the additional recyclables that are expected to be collected by the expansion of the program.

The city is working with a privately owned company, Waste Recycle in processing the material. The curbside collection program will continue to be source separated, and will include UBC, steel cans, two types of plastic, OCC, ONP, and old magazines. Glass will not be included in the curbside program.

Along with the collection program, the city of Tuscaloosa has 10 drop off container sites throughout the city.