Beginning Wednesday, Sept. 13, the City of Birmingham will launch the final phase of its $6.5 million, 100,000 uniform garbage cart system for residential homes. The program began in January by incrementally rolling out batches of 25,000 carts divided equally among the city’s four waste districts. Residents who have not yet received a uniform garbage cart can expect to receive one during this six-week distribution period.
Each Birmingham residential home will receive one complimentary 96-gallon garbage cart. These industrial bins keep trash protected from animals and weather elements. They will be serviced using new automated side loader refuse trucks with other existing trucks being retrofitted with special tippers.
Those receiving their complimentary cart in this phase should:
- Please retrieve the information packet included with the cart
- Don’t use the cart immediately
- Wait until you receive a letter from Public Works identifying your new pick-up day and service start date.
- Until you receive the service start date, continue to place household garbage on the curbside as you usually do
Once a resident receives their uniform garbage cart, their trash pickup will go from twice a week to once. All trash should be inside the carts. Any garbage that is not inside the container will not be collected. The carts will also be equipped with a smart chip that associates it with a specific address, like a serial number. The chip also allows for the collection of data such as when the carts are lifted and dumped.
Businesses located on residential waste routes needing up to two carts and multi-family dwelling units of four or fewer may apply for carts at $120 per cart. Any businesses needing more than two carts or any apartments/multi-family dwellings needing more than four carts will no longer be serviced by the City of Birmingham.
For more information, visit birminghamal.gov/pickup.
