A mechanical failure at Decatur’s recycling processing facility has forced the city to temporarily suspend recycling operations, disrupting curbside recycling service for both Decatur residents and partner municipalities including Athens.
City officials said the suspension took effect immediately after a critical failure in February involving the facility’s baler system, a key piece of equipment used to compress recyclable materials for transport and processing.
Repairs must be completed by the manufacturer and could take up to a month in a worst-case scenario, according to Decatur officials.
“We know recycling is important to our community,” Decatur Recycling Program Director Wanda Tyler said. “While this temporary suspension is unfortunate, we are actively working with the manufacturer to complete repairs and restore service as soon as possible.”
During the shutdown, Decatur will not operate recycling collection routes and all city recycling drop-off locations are temporarily closed. Residents are being asked either to place recyclable materials in their regular household garbage or store them until service resumes.
The issue is also affecting nearby Athens, which relies on Decatur’s facility to process recyclable materials.
Athens Sanitation Superintendent Terence Brown said Decatur has suspended acceptance of recyclables from outside entities until the equipment is repaired. Athens officials contacted the City of Florence to explore alternative processing options, but Florence is currently unable to accept the materials.
As a result, curbside recycling service in Athens is also temporarily suspended.
Brown said Athens residents who need to dispose of recyclables may place those materials in their trash carts for regular garbage pickup. Residents may also check with the Limestone County Recycling Center on North Jefferson Street to see if it can accept drop-off materials.
Items taken to the Limestone County facility must be sorted and placed in the correct bins.
Athens officials said recycling service is not a charged item on residents’ sanitation bills but has been offered as a way to promote recycling while helping reduce landfill tipping costs.
Both cities said they will provide updates once repairs are underway and a timeline for resuming recycling service is confirmed.
