The numbers have improved ever so slightly over the past decade. But, according to the latest Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) Solid Waste Biennial Report released in 2016, Alabama recycles less than 16% of its waste. The national recycling rate is 34.3%.
On average, each Alabamian throws away 2000 pounds of paper, plastics, glass, aluminum and steel cans annually.
Let that sink in. We bury a ton of garbage per person a year. Statewide nearly 5 million tons.
It’s a missed opportunity. Alabama’s disinterest in recycling its solid waste has cost local governments and our communities money and jobs.
In the course of a three part series, Bham Now will examine the history of recycling and solid waste in Alabama, the economic costs and jobs lost by not recycling and a path forward including local and state initiatives that need to be implemented.
Read more from Pat Byinigton's article here: https://bhamnow.com/2018/01/31/birmingham-recycling/