A new 62,000-square-foot, $25,000,000 Material Recovery Facility (MRF) for recycling is being built by the Solid Waste Disposal Authority (SWDA) of Baldwin County and will offer a curbside pick-up service for residents' recycling.

"As our county grows, it is important to grow our infrastructure for waste and recycling in order to meet the need of our citizens for years to come," said Terri Graham, chief executive officer for the SWDA of Baldwin County.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) website, recycling can benefit an area's environment, economy and community by creating "a healthier planet for ourselves and future generations."

The EPA website also describes what happens at a facility like the upcoming MRF when collected recyclables are deposited. Recycled goods are "sorted, cleaned and processed" into materials that are then used in manufacturing.

Graham said the new MRF, with completion of construction projected for next month, will be able to collect 40,000 tons of recyclable items that normally would have been sent to the landfill. The MRF will also allow for the collected material to be reused by manufacturers throughout Alabama and the Southeast.

While the new recycling facility will be able to collect a greater number of items, the types of materials accepted at the new MRF will be limited to cardboard, mixed paper, plastics Nos. 1-7, aluminum, tin and steel.

To combat this limitation, Graham says new "CHaRM" (Center for Hard to Recycle Materials) facilities will be opened across the county in Summerdale, Fairhope, Spanish Fort, Orange Beach, Bay Minette and a sixth location to be determined. Completion of these facilities is expected in 2025.

"The benefits will have a huge impact for residents and visitors," Graham said. "Most residents are unaware of how to properly discard of household items that no longer have a useful life, like pesticides, old fuels and liquids, electronics, batteries, glass, etc."

CHaRM facilities will accept glass, electronics, batteries, lightbulbs, tanks, extinguishers and household hazardous waste in addition to some of the items also accepted by the MRF such as paper, plastics Nos. 1-7, cardboard and aluminum.

Curbside pick-up for recycling will start around summer in 2025, and Graham said it will be a subscription-based service at a minimal rate. Items collected at curbside will go to the MRF.

"Three of the 14 municipalities in Baldwin County currently provide curbside recycling," Graham said." Our commitment is ensuring that recycling services are offered and accessible to all residents and businesses."

In addition to these new facilities and services, completion of the new educational Waste and Recycling Adventure Center is expected in December alongside the new MRF. Graham said "educating the public is key" when it comes to encouraging recycling practices and ensuring that recycling is done correctly.

To elaborate on other SWDA projects, Graham said, "In addition to these recycling efforts, the SWDA is also in the final construction stages of the Landfill Gas to Energy Plant, where we will turn the extracted methane gas from Magnolia Landfill into natural gas for a local utility."

Graham said the Baldwin County SWDA is grateful for all municipalities, recycling partnerships and other grant-related partnerships for helping in "becoming a more environmentally conscious and sustainable county."