Special to The Reporter

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – 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 again to 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 20 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 

Shoals Solid Waste Disposal Authority: $86,279 

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 

Lawerence County Solid Waste: $22,119 

Scottsboro Solid Waste Authority: $103,632