How you can help Alabama meet its 25% recycling goal set in 1989

Reviewed by: Nathan Watson
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Help Alabama meet its 25% recycling goal. (Nathan Watson / Bham Now)

In 1989, the state of Alabama passed ground-breaking comprehensive solid waste legislation. 

The new law required local governments throughout the state to develop and implement long-range solid waste plans. Unheralded at the time, it was an amendment attached to the new law recommending each plan contain a recycling goal of up to 25% within 10 years. 

At the time, recycling was such a high priority, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM)—which was in charge of making sure communities adopted a plan, anticipated recycling programs would become mandatory in some form.

It never did. 

When it comes down to recycling municipal solid waste (cardboard, paper, aluminum, plastics, glass and compostables), Alabama has not come close to recycling or reducing a quarter of our waste.

Learn why not in our story about the history and state of recycling in Alabama.

How you can help Alabama meet its 25% recycling goal set in 1989.

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Pat Byington
Pat Byington

Longtime conservationist. Former Executive Director at the Alabama Environmental Council and Wild South. Publisher of the Bama Environmental News for more than 18 years. Career highlights include playing an active role in the creation of Alabama's Forever Wild program, Little River Canyon National Preserve, Dugger Mountain Wilderness, preservation of special places throughout the East through the Wilderness Society and the strengthening (making more stringent) the state of Alabama's cancer risk and mercury standards.

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