By Sybil Scarbrough | birminghamal.gov
The City of Birmingham is a recipient of a $137,837 grant awarded by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM).
ADEM awarded more than $2.5 million in grants from the Alabama Recycling Fund (ARF) FY26 to eighteen solid waste authorities, counties, cities and other groups across Alabama in order to boost recycling efforts.
The grants were made possible by the Solid Wastes and Recyclable Materials Management Act which was passed by the Alabama Legislature in 2008. A total of $2,529,388 grants were made possible for the 2026 fiscal year.
“The Alabama Department of Environmental Management is delighted to be able again to award grants to assist and, in many cases, enable these worthy recycling projects,” said ADEM Director Ed Poolos. “This is the 17th year of the grant program, and we can clearly see the impact this funding is having as recycling continues to grow in Alabama. Every item that is recycled is one less item that ends up in a landfill or littered alongside our roads, on our land or in our water.”
The check was presented at the Alabama Recycling Coalition Conference and Expo in Huntsville, Alabama, on September 12.
“One of the many benefits of this program is the partnership we have developed with local governments like Birmingham,” Poolos said. “We are constantly looking for opportunities to boost the reuse of materials, not only because it reduces disposal costs and landfill use, but because it also saves natural resources.”
A majority of the funds will be used for education to support school recycling programs through Keep Birmingham Beautiful. This initiative is part of an even greater effort to increase awareness and get more residents involved in the benefits of recycling.
“Over the past few years, the City of Birmingham has received over $1Miillion in grant awards from ADEM, that has led to a more efficient and effective recycle system. The City of Birmingham has also invested over $1 Million towards our recycling efforts that has led to a containerized recycle system to limit contamination and optimize our recycle routes through an opt-in system,” said Josh Yates, Director of Public Works.
ADEM will host additional grant workshops to ensure the recycling projects are effectively managed and completed.
