Back on track: curbside recycling program, RANA, to resume collections with help from city and county

thumbnail Bham Recycling 1 e1624883136864 — Recycling can help keep tons of plastic out of landfills. (Pat Byington)

Due to intermittent staffing, supply chain issues and mechanical problems, curbside recycling in Hunstville has been halted for over a month—until now. The Recycling Alliance of North Alabama (RANA) has announced a recovery plan to get their curbside program back on track. Keep reading for all the details.

Recycling roadblocks

text — Hville—you can sign up for a recycling bin here. (Unsplash)

The RANA Curbside Recycling Program was implemented in 2019 to provide simplified recycling opportunities to residents of Madison County. Unfortunately, due to several roadblocks like supply chain issues, COVID-19 cases in employees and other operational delays, pickups have fallen behind.

These delays have caused many frustrations for residents. Luckily, the City of Huntsville Public Works Department and Madison County Commission Waste Control Department have teamed up to temporarily assist with curbside recycling collections that are behind schedule.

“These are difficult times and the impact from COVID-19 is affecting recycling services in our area. I, as well as other City Leaders, understand the positive attributes that recycling has on the environment and we are willing to assist RANA so that our citizens are not further impacted by continuing delays.” City of Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle
Tommy Battle, Mayor, City of Hunstville

Getting caught up

According to WHNT News 19, more than 30 18-wheelers were brought in from the Birmingham area to take as many recyclables as they could—resulting in over 400 tons of recyclables being collected.

RANA is asking all residents who have experienced delays to please leave their RANA cart on the curb to allow for pickup. They mention that all collections should be caught up by the end of this weekend, February 13th.

Helping the environment

thumbnail Bham Recycling 2 rotated 1 — You can put shredded paper, junk mail, printer paper and more in your RANA cart. (Pat Byington)

All materials collected as part of this effort will be sent to the recycling materials recovery processor in Chattanooga, TN.

As a reminder, here are some things you can include in your RANA cart:

Metal: Aluminum and steel bi-metal cans

Empty and rinse before placing them loosely in the cart
Lids and Labels can remain on

Paper products: Newspapers and inserts, magazines, junk mail and stationery, printer paper, paperback books, paper bags

Dry when placed in cart
Shredded paper can be bagged in PAPER bags (not plastic)

Cardboard:

Broken down to fit in the cart
Clean and dry

#1 and #2 narrow-neck plastic bottles: water, soda and condiment bottles, soap containers, milk jugs, laundry detergent bottles

Empty and rinse before placing them in the cart
Caps can remain on

For a full list of what you can (and can’t) include in your RANA cart, visit their website.

If you’re interested in learning more about RANA’s curbside program or would like to sign up for a cart, visit www.recycling-alliance.com or call (256)-801-CART.

If needed, households can now sign up for a second cart.

Are you planning on joining the recycling program? Tag us at @hvilleblast and let us know!