Birmingham Recycling Kicked Up To Twice A Month, City Buys Refuse Equipment
Birmingham city residents who don't have a recycling bin often leave piles of material piled up on the curb.
Birmingham has increased its recycling pick-up schedule to twice a month, though Mayor Randall Woodfin says his “full intent” is to eventually return to the program’s pre-COVID weekly schedule.
The city’s recycling program was temporarily halted by COVID-19 last April. It resumed three months later with a reduced, once-a-month pickup schedule that remained in effect for nearly a year. This month, pickups were increased to twice monthly, on the first and third Wednesday of each month. The next pick-up is scheduled for July 21.
Woodfin said the number of pickups would likely increase when the city’s public works department purchases additional vehicles. The council did approve the city’s purchase of one automatic refuse truck on Tuesday for just more than $322,000.
Last year, Woodfin floated the idea — to mixed reception — of privatizing the city’s waste collection program, calling its current form “unsustainable.”
Also approved Tuesday was the purchase of a landfill dozer for $712,575 and an excavator for $331,785. These purchases were highlighted by District 5 Councilor Darrell O’Quinn, who pulled them off the council’s consent agenda so that they could be read aloud before the public.
“I just wanted this one to be read because landfills are not free,” O’Quinn said. “A million dollars of equipment for just moving around dirt and trash at the landfill — not to mention all the other expenses. It’s just something to think about.”
Birmingham is 3rd worst in the Southeast for ozone pollution, new report says
The American Lung Association's "State of the Air" report shows some metro areas in the Gulf States continue to have poor air quality.
Why haven’t Kansas and Alabama — among other holdouts — expanded access to Medicaid?
Only 10 states have not joined the federal program that expands Medicaid to people who are still in the "coverage gap" for health care
Once praised, settlement to help sickened BP oil spill workers leaves most with nearly nothing
Thousands of ordinary people who helped clean up after the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico say they got sick. A court settlement was supposed to help compensate them, but it hasn’t turned out as expected.
Q&A: How harm reduction can help mitigate the opioid crisis
Maia Szalavitz discusses harm reduction's effectiveness against drug addiction, how punitive policies can hurt people who need pain medication and more.
The Gulf States Newsroom is hiring a Community Engagement Producer
The Gulf States Newsroom is seeking a curious, creative and collaborative professional to work with our regional team to build up engaged journalism efforts.
Gambling bills face uncertain future in the Alabama legislature
This year looked to be different for lottery and gambling legislation, which has fallen short for years in the Alabama legislature. But this week, with only a handful of meeting days left, competing House and Senate proposals were sent to a conference committee to work out differences.
