AEC closes Avondale recycling center, but group remains busy

The Alabama Environmental Council was recently forced to close its popular Community Recycling Center in Avondale due to dramatic changes in the recycling market in the United States.

But that doesn’t mean that the AEC is out of business, according to Felicia Buck, the nonprofit’s executive director.

The AEC, formed in 1969, “is a nonprofit organization that will continue on,” Buck told Iron City Ink. And there’s been some confusion about the AEC’s role, she said.

“Some folks think we’re just part of the city,” she said. “Some think [recycling] is all we do. But we do so much more.”

In fact, after shifting away from industrial-scale recycling, the AEC — billed as the oldest statewide conservation organization in Alabama — will be able to direct more of its money and time to its traditional mission of addressing the state’s environmental needs. Moving forward, the organization will focus on such areas as energy, sustainability, land conservation and environmental education, according to a news release from the group.

“There’s so much work to be done,” Buck said.

The AEC, which formerly operated a smaller recycling drop on Second Avenue North downtown, opened the Avondale facility in 2016. And it wasn’t easy for the organization to keep the place open, according to Buck.

The AEC had three part-time staffers dedicated to the center, and the rent was about $2,300 per month.

“The only way we’ve been able to stay alive was members and donors and the city giving some funding,” Buck said.

Since the facility opened, the AEC received about $75,000 from the city of Birmingham, as well as discretionary funds from some City Council members, according to Buck.

A major shift in the global recycling market began in January 2018 when China, which formerly bought large amounts of U.S. recyclable materials, began enforcing restrictions on their importation, according to Buck. This move, part of the country’s National Sword policy, affected the recycling market on a global level, and the market for recyclable material in the U.S. is currently saturated, Buck said.

The AEC kept the center in Avondale open during 2018 even though the facility’s income from the sale of materials went down by 75 or 85 percent compared to 2017, according to Buck. The AEC first reduced operating hours at the center, then closed the facility Dec. 13.

Buck and the AEC tried and failed to find a successor to take over the operation. “We’ve been trying to find somebody to take over this, but we’re not really having any luck right now,” Buck said prior to the December closure.

“It all boils down to the numbers,” she said. “We’ve had people who are interested, and then they see the numbers.”

Fortunately for area residents, UAB and some other municipalities and businesses in the area maintain recycling drop-off centers. “There’s plenty of places people can take their stuff,” Buck said.

To see a list of these alternative drop points for recycling at the AEC website, click here.

And Buck said she hopes to see a viable domestic recycling market recover “in a couple of years.”

“It’s a big industry and there’s lots of money to be made if it’s done right,” she said.

However, that will require “business folks and investors that see the potential and want to put forth the effort to create that market,” Buck said.

The business opportunity stems from the sheer amount of waste generated in America and other countries.

“Everyone’s just on fast consumerism,” Buck said. You know, we order from Amazon Prime every two days.”

There’s a chance to “create an industry to process these materials to create new things and give these materials a second life,” she said.

The AEC will continue to work “with key partners” to identify “long-term solutions for efficient recycling opportunities,” according to the group’s news release.

“On glass [materials], we are working with UAB right now,” Buck said. “UAB sees the potential and are running with it.”

According to Buck, UAB is testing buckets of pulverized glass from the AEC to determine its specifications and possible uses.

Overall, the closing of the recycling center in Avondale is “bittersweet,” Buck said.

“It’s a community service that many people rely on, but it’s not the best use of our time and energy as a nonprofit organization, so we’re super-excited to be able to work on the education and policy portion of this,” she said.

The goals of the AEC, according to the news release, are as follows:

► Seeking to improve community recycling statewide;

► Increasing the AEC’s environmental educational programs in schools and helping to develop school curriculums;

► Reinvigorating efforts for public lands conservation;

► Advocating for changes in state policy regarding energy and conservation;

► Working with businesses that want to establish sustainability programs.

“There’s a lot of work that can be done on the policy end to make the changes, not just for recycling but for the reduction of use,” Buck said. 

“Education is always key,” she said. “A lot of people hear the words, ‘reduce, reuse, recycle,’ but they don’t know what that entails.”

To move forward with these goals, AEC is also looking to the community for input, for funding and for volunteers, according to Buck. For more information about the AEC, go to aeconline.org.