Jefferson County, AL Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)

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.