West Mobile residents no longer have to drive across town to recycle after county officials opened a new drop-off recycling center in the area on Thursday, Nov. 19, capping years of planning.
The facility sits at 7450 Hitt Road near Schillinger Road, on the site formerly occupied by the Brewer Center. At roughly 13,000 square feet, the new center gives west Mobile households a much closer option than the recycling drop-off points previously available on the other side of the city.
Mobile County Commission President Connie Hudson championed the project, which county officials say addresses a long-standing gap in recycling access for residents living on the west side of Mobile. Before the center opened, those residents typically had to haul recyclables considerably farther to reach an existing drop-off location.
Goodwill Easter Seals will operate and manage the new center, according to county officials, and the arrangement is structured so that day-to-day operations come at no direct cost to taxpayers. The center is set to operate seven days a week, giving residents broad flexibility for dropping off recyclable materials on their own schedule rather than being limited to weekday hours.
Funding for the project came in part through a Coastal Impact Assistance Program grant issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior, a federal funding stream that has supported a range of environmental and infrastructure projects along the Gulf Coast in the years following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlement process. Local officials have used similar funding sources to support conservation, water quality and waste management projects across coastal Alabama.
The opening reflects a broader push by Mobile County to expand recycling infrastructure and make participation easier for residents across a geographically spread-out county. Local leaders have said in the past that convenience is one of the biggest factors determining whether households actually recycle consistently, and officials hope the new west Mobile location will boost participation rates in that part of the county.
County officials welcomed the public to the site starting at 3 p.m. on opening day, with the center expected to become a regular stop for area residents looking to dispose of paper, plastic, glass and other recyclable materials going forward. The addition gives Mobile County another piece of infrastructure aimed at reducing landfill waste while giving residents a more convenient way to participate in recycling programs close to home.