Foley, Ala. – (OBA) – Foley’s recycling program is set to become more efficient and cost-effective with the upcoming opening of Baldwin County’s new materials recovery facility (MRF) at Magnolia Landfill. Slated to open in early 2025, the facility will allow the city to process recyclable materials locally, reducing transportation costs and labor by eliminating the need to haul materials to Florida for processing.

The City of Foley Released additional details below.

FOLEY – A new facility planned to open soon could make Foley’s already popular recycling program more cost-effective.

The opening of Baldwin County’s new materials recovery facility, known as an MRF, will cut costs by providing a recycling site at Baldwin County’s Magnolia Landfill. Foley and other local cities now take materials to Florida for processing.

The Foley City Council recently approved extending the city’s current recycling contract with the Emerald Coast Utility Authority in Escambia County, Florida. 

The contract can be ended with 30-days notice, Darrell Russell, Foley Public Works director, told council members. The agreement will allow Foley to continue to recycle materials until the Baldwin County facility opens around the beginning of 2025.

Mike Thompson, Foley city administrator, said the move will reduce fuel costs and the time needed for vehicles and crews to transport the material.

“The location is important because that's going to save us on both labor and fuel for the truck,” Thompson said. “Our trucks won’t be going nearly as far.”

Mayor Ralph Hellmich said Foley is ready to use the new county facility. “We're thrilled to death when they get this thing open,” he said. 

The mayor said Foley residents recycle material at a higher rate than some other communities. The rate is about 65%. 

Hellmich said Foley also distributes collection cans for all recyclable materials. The city has been distributing cans in new subdivisions across the city as residents move into the houses.

The blue Foley containers are the same size as standard garbage cans and can be collected using the systems on trucks. The cans can also be rolled to the street, unlike smaller bins that are carried to the curb.

Truck crews also load the contents of the smaller bins onto the truck by hand.

The Baldwin County facility will process the same materials now collected in Foley. The city recycles cardboard, paper, plastic and aluminum cans.

The new recycling center will not take glass. Foley also does not collect glass for recycling. Hellmich said the local recycling centers send materials to processing facilities. No processing facilities in the region take glass for recycling.