MONTGOMERY – The Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) announced
today it is awarding more than $2.5 million in grants from the Alabama Recycling Fund (ARF) to cities,
counties, solid waste authorities and other groups across the state to boost recycling efforts.
The grants, which are for fiscal year 2026, were awarded during the Alabama Recycling Coalition’s
Annual Conference and Expo, held Sept. 10-12, at the Westin Huntsville. The coalition, a statewide
nonprofit organization that promotes waste reduction, material reuse, recycling and composting
activities, is one of the grant recipients.
Totaling $2,529,388, the grants are made possible by the Solid Wastes and Recyclable Materials
Management Act, passed by the Alabama Legislature in 2008.
“ADEM is delighted to be able to again award grants to assist and, in many cases, enable these worthy
recycling projects,” ADEM Director Edward Poolos said in a statement. “This is the 17th year of the grant
program, and we can clearly see the impact this funding is having as recycling continues to grow in
Alabama. Every item that is recycled is one less item that ends up in a landfill or littered alongside our
roads, on our land or in our water.”
The Alabama Recycling Coalition itself is again the recipient of a recycling grant. ADEM awarded the
coalition $51,500 to support recycling efforts throughout the state. The funding will be used to maintain,
continue to develop and optimize the state recycling website, ALRecycles.org, which was funded with a
2025 grant. The coalition will create content and implement a multi-media awareness campaign, as well
as procure and distribute promotional items.
The group will also host two ADEM grant workshops to ensure effective management and completion of
recycling projects.
The coalition is one of 18 entities awarded recycling grants for 2026. Recipients include county and city
governments, solid waste authorities, recycling centers and a recycling partnership.
“One of the many benefits of this program is the partnership we have developed with local governments
and local agencies to promote and advance recycling in the state,” Poolos said. “We are constantly
looking for opportunities to boost the reuse of materials not only because it reduces disposal costs and
landfill use, but because it also saves natural resources. These local groups are where recycling and
preserving our resources begin.”
In addition to the Alabama Recycling Coalition, 2026 grant recipients are:
• Albertville-Boaz Recycling Center: $155,756
• Solid Waste Disposal Authority of Baldwin County: $123,832
• City of Birmingham: $137,837
• City of Florence Recycling Center: $145,585
• Shelby County Commission: $200,210
• Solid Waste Disposal Authority of Huntsville: $42,010
• City of Tuscaloosa West Alabama Recycling Partnership: $107,418
• Montgomery Clean City Commission: $30,000
• City of Decatur Recycling Facility: $375,000
• City of Fairhope: $156,000
• City of Gadsden Recycling Center: $52,782
• City of Guntersville Recycling Center: $92,718
• City of Northport: $89,472
• City of Phenix City: $150,000
• City of Rainbow City: $130,541
• City of Troy: $127,945
• Lawrence County Solid Waste: $22,119
• Scottsboro Solid Waste Authority: $103,632
Media Release/Alabama Department of Environmental Management
