We manage the solid waste disposal for the cities of Huntsville, Madison & Madison County including household hazardous waste & Recycling Alliance of North Alabama The Solid Waste Disposal Authority (SWDA) began operation when the Huntsville Landfill ownership was transferred from the City of Huntsville to the SWDA, in 1985. Since that time, the SWDA has added the Huntsville Waste to Energy facili
ty, the community’s residential curbside and drop-site recycling program, the Handle With Care household hazardous waste program and a white goods (appliances) & metals reclamation program. The Huntsville Waste to Energy facility opened in 1990 and is the cornerstone of the SWDA’s integrated waste management system which includes waste reduction, recycling, landfilling and waste to energy recovery. After receiving approximately 600 tons of solid waste per day, the waste is incinerated, steam energy is produced and the steam is transported to the nearby U. Army Redstone Arsenal where steam powers heating and air conditioning systems. This facility is continuously monitored and is equipped with state of the art pollution control equipment. By reducing waste volumes 90%, the need for additional landfill space is greatly reduced. The Huntsville Landfill is a Subtitle D approved facility which receives approximately 600 tons of construction & demolition debris and municipal solid waste per day. White goods and metals reclamation occurs at this facility. Although the Huntsville Landfill is largely a construction & demolition landfill, it can accept municipal solid waste. The Handle With Care household hazardous waste facility provides an environmentally safe method of disposing of potentially harmful or questionable residential waste by providing a separate collection Monday - Friday from 7 am - 5pm for these wastes. The program is available to all Huntsville, Madison and Madison County residents. The program’s goal of removing as much household hazardous waste from the community’s waste stream as possible, produces a less hazardous waste stream for all waste collection systems as well as lessening the danger of fire in local homes. A Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generator program is available for businesses meeting the required EPA criteria. A white goods (appliances) & metals reclamation program is available at the Huntsville Landfill to further reduce the amount of materials that are landfilled. By removing these items, metals recycling is enhanced and the need for additional disposal space is reduced. In addition to appliances, metals in the ash from the Huntsville Waste to Energy facility, are removed and recycled. All CFC’s from appliances are purged before recycling.
