MADISON – The 18-gallon rectangular boxes residents in Madison have been using for curbside recycle pick-ups may soon be a thing of the past. Instead, residents will use smaller versions of the green boxes they now use for household trash.

The Solid Waste Disposal Authority (SWDA) announced Monday residents will receive a 96-gallon wheeled cart for recycle pick-ups by August. Also, the new automated program utilizing the rolling carts will be serviced on a monthly basis, instead of weekly.

The change is included in SWDA’s request for proposals for curbside recycling collection in Madison, Huntsville and Madison County.

“The curbside recycling program has grown consistently throughout the years and the aged bin system is no longer sufficient to meet our program’s needs,” said John R. “Doc” Holladay, SWDA Executive Director.

“The older system was performed manually and was labor intensive. Larger containers, automated collection, and less frequent servicing of the bins is a more efficient allocation of resources and allows us to extend service to an additional 20,000 households.”

The contract with the current recycling provider, Republic Services, ended in December. SWDA and Republic negotiated a seven-month extension of the program so none of the current customers in Huntsville, Madison and Madison County would be inconvenienced while changes are being implemented.

The current service is scheduled to end Wednesday, July 31. “SWDA is working to eliminate or minimize any potential interruptions in the program. We will keep the public informed as we receive responses and have a better understanding of when the transition will occur,” said Holladay.

The program will be called the Recycling Alliance of North Alabama and SWDA will be managing the program.

Holladay further said that SWDA is opening a new Household Hazardous Waste facility, with expanded days and hours of operation, to allow residents a more convenient method of disposal for hazardous waste from their households.

For more information on SWDA’s recycling and Household Hazardous Waste program, please visit http://swdahsv.org/recycling/.