Alabama homes get single stream recycling

Through a program offered by Allied Waste Services of Birmingham, Helena, Alabama, residents will receive valuable rewards for recycling with RecycleBank. Allied Waste expects to have 10,000 households enrolled in the program by this summer and possibly expand throughout Shelby County. Helena is the first city in Alabama to offer RecycleBank.

In December, Allied Waste distributed 95 gallon recycling carts to Helena residents and began picking up recyclables in January. The carts are equipped with special tags that connect the address with individual RecycleBank accounts.

The new program also brings with it single-stream recycling, which allows all recyclables to go into one cart with no sorting. Allied Waste accepts plastics 1-3, plastic milk and detergent jugs, steel and aluminum cans, newspaper, cardboard, boxes and paper products.