Recycling costs soar as metro Birmingham's top processing facility raises rates

Recycling costs are going up, and it could trickle down to your wallet.

The company, Birmingham Recycling, notified more than 30 cities and counties across central Alabama it is doubling its processing fees and adding new fees for contamination. Its customers include Jefferson, Shelby and Blount counties.

The company runs the processing facility where all residential curbside recycling from the greater Birmingham area is delivered. Its letter attributed the fee increases to global changes, including China's ban on many recycled imports. It also talks about the extra money it takes to process high levels of contaminated and non-recyclable materials.

Cities like Birmingham and Alabaster will begin paying this increase immediately, because they provide their own recycling pick-up.

In other places where it's contracted out, those pick-up companies will have to absorb the cost for now, because their prices are locked into contracts with those cities.

Recycling is a major part of Katie Allred's family.

“We just have this bin in the kitchen and when we have boxes like this with tape, we pull the tape off,” she showed us.

Her family categorizes items in bins and makes sure they're clean.

“Sustaining our earth and our environment while we are here because it’s not always going to be around if we don’t continue to take care of it,” she said.

Now, cities across the United States face increased recycling costs and tough decisions.

“We want to encourage green, we just want to be able to afford it,” said Alabaster Mayor Marty Handlon.

Handlon says the rate increases will mean an extra $100,000 annually for her city.

“And our budget does not have this kind of excess in it so we’re going to have to make some changes pretty quickly,” Handlon added, as she said she was disappointed at the short notice for the increase.

Changes could include raising rate or cutting the service.

Some municipalities who contract-out their recycling pickup have rates locked in, for now.

“I’m sure they’ll need to pass that on to the consumers but we’ll just have to go through that process,” said David Willingham, Chief Development Officer in Shelby County.

Willingham says Shelby County has a contract with waste pro until 2022. Then, they’ll work to get the best bid possible.

“We’ll get the best rates we can and hopefully recycling can continue but that’s to be seen,” he said.

Birmingham Recycling’s letter says the processing is increasing from $30 a ton to $65 a ton. It is also charging a $50 per ton fee for any contaminated materials brought in.

Willingham points out Shelby County only pays $22 a ton to bring trash to the landfill.

“The new rate is an over three times increase (over landfill fees),” he said. “That’s quite a change.”

Allred is one who wants to see recycling remain.

“I really would rather us pay for it than take away recycling because once we take away recycling, everything goes to the dump,” she said.

Birmingham Recycling accepts paper, metal and plastic. It asks customers to put the items loosely in the recycling bin, empty, clean and dry.

Here are some items considered contaminated: Garden hoses Electronics Cables or cords Plastic bags Rope and string Ratchet straps Vacuum hoses Vacuum cleaners Clothing and other textiles Plastics #3-7, Wire hangers Glass Rubber balls Yard waste Used HVAC filters Foam products Bulky plastic items (coolers, toys) Scrap metal Household garbage Food Waste