Birmingham provides curbside recycling via blue carts with weekly or alternate-week pickup. Alabama has no statewide recycling mandate. Accepted materials include paper, cardboard, glass, aluminum, and plastics #1-2. Jefferson County operates drop-off recycling at convenience centers for unincorporated residents.
Birmingham operates a curbside recycling program through Public Works using separate blue carts on a weekly or alternate-week schedule depending on route. Accepted materials include paper, cardboard (flattened), glass (clear, brown, green), aluminum cans, steel cans, and plastics #1 (PET) and #2 (HDPE). Plastics #3-7, plastic bags, styrofoam, and food-contaminated items are not accepted. Hoover contracts recycling service with Waste Management on an alternating week schedule. Vestavia Hills, Homewood, and Mountain Brook operate similar programs. Alabama has no statewide recycling mandate (unlike California AB 341 or Pennsylvania Act 101) - participation is voluntary and market-driven. Jefferson County Environmental Services operates drop-off recycling at convenience centers serving unincorporated areas. Post-2018 China National Sword policy has tightened contamination standards; contaminated loads are often landfilled rather than sorted. Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) coordinates statewide waste planning but does not mandate curbside service. Some multi-family properties contract private recycling separately.
Contaminated recycling cart: tagged and skipped, no fine. Chronic contamination: cart removal. Illegal placement of non-recyclables in blue cart: $25 to $100 Birmingham citation. Commercial recycling theft: misdemeanor under Ala. Code §13A-8-3.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Birmingham, AL
Birmingham City Code section 11-8-23 bars sounding a vehicle horn or signal device for more than 30 seconds except as a danger warning, requires effective mu...
Birmingham, AL
Birmingham's noise ordinance expressly exempts noise from the operation of the Birmingham International Airport (City Code sec. 11-8-25(3)). In-flight aircra...
Birmingham, AL
Birmingham City Code section 11-8-23(8) makes amplified sound, stereos, TVs and musical instruments a nuisance when plainly audible 50 feet from a building o...
Birmingham, AL
Birmingham does not impose a blanket residential overnight on-street parking ban, but Title 10, Chapter 9 of the City Code prohibits leaving a vehicle parked...
Birmingham, AL
A retaining wall is defined in Birmingham's ordinance as a block, brick, or stone structure erected to retain or prevent encroaching soil. A front-yard retai...
Birmingham, AL
General Birmingham fence requirements prohibit any fence, wall, or planting that obstructs traffic visibility and creates a 'line of sight' problem as determ...
See how Birmingham's recycling requirements rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.