Gadsden recycling staff report rising volumes, savings and plans for conveyor and curbside pilot

Gadsden City Council heard a detailed report on Aug. 5 from recycling staff about current operations, volumes and proposed upgrades at the city's recycling center.

Recycling staff member Mark Golden told the council the center accepts cardboard, aluminum, metals, paper, books, magazines and electronics but currently does not accept glass, plastic or major appliances. Golden said the center is averaging about 11 trailer swaps per day — roughly 55 per week — and processes 8–10 pallets of cardboard from the post office. He said the city has 78 recycling trailers in its fleet (25 new), with 63 deployed and 57 located inside Gadsden. Golden said the center produces about 40 bales of cardboard per month; each bale weighs about 2,000 pounds, which he estimated at about 80,000 pounds (40 tons) over the period cited.

Golden provided dollar figures: cardboard is currently about $75 per ton; at that price he estimated gross returns of roughly $36,000 per year from cardboard and an "unrealized savings" of about $48,000 per year if that material otherwise went to the landfill at a disposal rate of about $50 per ton. He said these figures come from roughly three months of data he has been collecting since taking the position.

Golden described operational challenges: unloading trailers is done by hand inside a hot metal building, sorting is manual to remove contaminants (plastic, Styrofoam, diapers), and the current workflow is physically demanding for staff. He outlined short-term needs including hiring an equipment operator, expanding the small break room, remodeling bathrooms, completing a security camera installation and acquiring tarps and a new truck (supported by a grant). Golden said a conveyor system and sorting table are priority capital investments to reduce manual labor and speed processing.

Longer-term, Golden said the center aims to pilot selected curbside recycling neighborhoods before expanding citywide and that he is pursuing available recycling grants to fund equipment and program expansion. He also mentioned education goals including school field trips and outreach to reduce contaminants (for example, encouraging residents to break down boxes before placing them in trailers to reduce wasted space).

Council members praised the work and asked for outreach ideas. Councilwoman Latham and others noted visible improvements since new trailers arrived and encouraged showing before-and-after images to persuade residents to break down boxes. Councilman Robinson noted the program is growing and urged safe operations during peak events.

Why it matters: The recycling program keeps material out of the landfill, generates modest revenue and near-term cost savings, and has plans that could expand service and reduce solid-waste costs for the city and neighboring jurisdictions.

Next steps: Staff will continue to pursue grant funding, complete planned building and equipment upgrades, recruit an equipment operator and advance plans for a conveyor/sorting system and targeted curbside pilot.