The City of Gulf Shores was awarded $148,135 from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM)'s 2025 recycling grant that will be used to purchase equipment for Baldwin County Solid Waste's (BCSW) upcoming Material Recovery Facility (MRF).

The new MRF will be located next to the Magnolia Landfill and will serve the recycling needs of all Baldwin County residents. BCSW asked the City of Gulf Shores, the City of Orange Beach and the City of Foley to jointly submit grant applications. The MRF is expected to cost $15 million.

"As far as I can tell, it's good that the county is getting more involved in this," Councilman Steve Jones said at the Aug. 19 Gulf Shores work session meeting, "I think it'll just lead to better management of things that don't belong in the landfill all over the county. I'm glad to see it."

The City of Gulf Shores will still maintain its recycling drop-off location, the Leave Only Footprints Program and all the beachside recycling. The city will serve as a pass-through for the grant and will transfer the funds to Baldwin County once received.

An ADEM press release about the recycling grants said Baldwin County received $419,977 and will be working with Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Foley in support of the county's facility.

"I do want to give a shoutout to Baldwin County and their MRF," Lance LeFleur, ADEM director, said in the press release. "That is a wonderful example of how partnerships can stretch these dollars."

Dan Bond, environmental grants coordinator for the City of Gulf Shores, said the new MRF will bring "a lot more opportunities" to recycle items that are normally not accepted, such as electronics, batteries and paint.

Bond said cities within the county that host recycling events where typical non-recyclables are collected will be able to bring what they collect to the MRF to be processed.

Mayor Robert Craft said this new facility will help process "certain elements we can't take."

More information on what Gulf Shores recycling can process and accept can be found on the Trash/Recycling page of the City's website.

Specific locations are listed on the trash/recycling page to drop off items such as motor oil, propane cylinders and household chemicals. Special recycling days for electronics, fluorescent lightbulbs and paint are also listed.