Waste Collection & Recycling

Amwaste is the residential waste, recycling and bulk trash service provider for Vestavia Hills. (Businesses should contract with a waste collection agency of their choice.) The City’s Public Services department remains as the principal point of contact for requests and resolution of any issues. Please continue to submit your waste collection request or complaint via Vestavia Hills Connect or by contacting Public Services (publicservices@vhal.org;  205.978.0150).

Schedule
  • Waste is collected twice per week: Monday/Thursday or Tuesday/Friday. If you are unsure of the pick-up days at your address, click HERE to view a list sorted by street address or HERE to view the location map. Use the magnifying glass icon to search your address. NOTE: Collection days for areas highlighted in red are Tuesday/Friday; collection days for areas highlighted in blue are Monday/Thursday.
  • The first collection service of the week will be for household garbage and small bulk/brush – everything collected that day will be taken to the landfill.
  • The second collection service will be for a “mixed stream” – everything collected that day will be transported to the City’s recycling vendor and sorted to separate recyclables from waste.
  • Routes may begin as early as 7 a.m. Be sure to have the materials out for collection by 6:30 a.m. of your scheduled service days.
  • The following holidays will be observed each year: New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. If the holiday falls on a weekday, City-wide service will be delayed by one day following each of these scheduled holidays, i.e. Monday routes will run Tuesday; Tuesday routes will run Wednesday; etc. If the holiday falls on a weekend, service will not be interrupted.
  • If a service interruption occurs, please report the issue via the Vestavia Hills Connect app or online at https://vhal.org/vestavia-hills-connect.
Recyclables
  • The second collection service each week will be for a “mixed stream” – everything collected that day will be transported to the City’s recycling vendor. Residents who want to participate in the recycling process are encouraged to retain recyclables until the second collection day each week. While both pickups allow for the removal of waste, only the second weekly collection will be sorted to extract recyclables.
  • How does the recycling program “work”? All solid waste collected on the second service day each week is transported to the Sylvan Springs landfill. At the landfill, there is a “dumping pad” where comingled solid waste, intended for recycling, is deposited and prepared for trucking to a recycling facility. There is also no longer a requirement for recyclables to be pre-sorted, clean, dry and empty. Amwaste utilizes two facilities, depending on their availability – RePower South and Big Sky Environmental. The goal for both facilities is to recycle and/or repurpose as much as possible to divert waste from being deposited in the landfill. RePower South separates marketable commodities (paper, aluminum, etc.) and sells these baled materials into established commodity markets. Of the remaining waste, approximately 70% is converted into ReEF fuel, which is used as a replacement for coal in industrial and energy utility boilers. Big Sky repurposes all of the commodities into energy feedstock that is used as a replacement for coal for cement production facilities. (Energy pellets/fuel burns cleaner than coal and is desired by industrial and energy utilities for energy generation.)
Carts & Placement
  • Continue to utilize your existing cart for service. To request an additional cart or if your cart is broken and needs to be replaced, submit a request in Vestavia Hills Connect to “Deliver a New Cart.”
  • Carts should be placed on the curb with the arrows on the lid pointing to the street, and no more than 3’ from the curb.
  • Carts should not be placed on sidewalk; storm drain cover; gutter; steep slope; on an elevated platform; under a low-hanging utility line or other obstruction; or within 6’ of any fixed objects such as a mailbox, hedges, retaining wall, vehicle parked on street, etc.
  • All household garbage and recycling should be bagged to minimize litter during collection.
  • No single bag/container may exceed 50 lbs.

Bulk Collection
  • Scheduling collection. There is NOT a designated bulk trash pickup day. A request for pickup of large piles of yard debris/bulk trash should be requested via Vestavia Hills Connect or by calling 205.978.0150. If your materials are not picked up within 10 business days following your request, call Public Works at 205.978.0150. Be sure to include the confirmation number you received when submitting your Vestavia Hills Connect request.
  • Landscaping & construction debris. Landscaping and/or construction debris is to be removed by the contractor performing the service. Please advise the contractor of this responsibility when arranging for service. Only homeowner-generated materials should be scheduled for pick-up by Amwaste. A roll-off dumpster should be utilized for construction/renovation projects generating significant debris.
  • Loose debris & organic matter. Small amounts of debris, leaves*, pine straw, small limbs, etc. should be bagged for collection. Small amounts may be placed in your cart for collection. A Vestavia Hills Connect pickup request should be submitted if you have 15 or more bags of debris to be collected. Branches may not be longer than 6’ in length.
  • *Leaf collection. Leaves should be bagged and placed in your cart or on the curb for collection. The City of Vestavia Hills does not provide leaf truck service for a variety of reasons:
    • Not rated as a priority by residents. The results of the 2017 Citizen Survey ranked leaf truck service as #12 of 12 possible options.
    • Budget. The most recent bid for leaf truck service was $805,000 for 3-4 pickups annually. As a result of the survey, this cost was reallocated to enhance amenities/needs ranked as high priority, such as roadway improvements, sidewalk installation and the hiring of additional police and fire personnel.
    • Storm drain issues. Historically, leaves sat on the curb and gutter of residences and often blew/washed into storm drains while awaiting collection. The accumulation of organic matter blocked storm drains and gutters from being able to quickly drain during a heavy rainfall. The organic matter also traveled downstream into surrounding water sources.
  • Appliances. Most appliances will be collected. Refrigerated appliances require a Freon removal tag issued by a certified technician prior to collection.
  • Placement. Materials should be placed no more than 3’ from the curb and in an area with no overhead obstructions.
  • Hazardous waste. There are typically two Hazardous Waste Collection Days offered annually in the City of Vestavia Hills for the disposal of: paint; bulbs (including CFLs, fluorescent bulbs and other bulbs that contain mercury); and batteries (lithium and “button” batteries).
  • Medication disposal. Solid medications (no liquids) may be dropped off at the Vestavia Hills Police department at City Hall and the substation located in Cahaba Heights. For more information, call 205.978.0124.

Accepted/Not Accepted

If you have questions or need additional clarification, contact Amwaste at customercare@amwasteusa.com or Vestavia Hills Public Services at publicservices@vhal.org or 205.978.0150.

  • Materials that will be collected – less than two cubic yards of limbs and yard debris (bagged leaves/grass); rolled carpet; small furniture items; glass* (must be broken and placed in a cardboard box labeled “GLASS”); alkaline, manganese and carbon-zinc batteries; household amounts of fluorescent bulbs; household amount of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers; moving boxes (broken down); bagged packing materials; appliances (refrigerated appliances require a Freon removal tag issued by a certified technician) and mattresses. If you have questions or are unsure, contact Vestavia Hills Public Services at publicservices@vhal.org or 205.978.0150.
  • Materials that will NOT be collected – televisions; cross ties/railroad ties (contain creosote and are not accepted by landfills); tires; car batteries; large car parts (engines, rotors, bumpers, etc.); lithium-ion batteries; paint must be dried before it will be collected – add sand or kitty litter to dry the paint and, once dried, leave the can on the curb with the lid off; construction debris: blocks, bricks, concrete, piles of dirt, tile, etc.; contractor generated debris piles; more than household amounts of hazardous waste; pool chemicals; medical waste, including sharps and needles; and animal carcasses. This is not an exhaustive list. If you have questions or are unsure, contact Vestavia Hills Public Services at publicservices@vhal.org or 205.978.0150.

*Small amounts of glass must be broken and placed in a sealed cardboard box boldly labeled “GLASS” (to avoid injury to the truck operator). Large amounts of glass, i.e. glass doors, large mirrors, etc. can be disposed of without breaking, but the entire surface of the glass must be properly covered with plastic or covered with packing or duct tape so that it is not shattered by the boom truck claw.

Back Door Garbage Collection

Back door garbage collection is available at no cost for persons with a medically certified need or for a fee for those who prefer the convenience. For more information, email publicservices@vhal.org, call 205.978.0150 or submit a request for information using the “Back Door Garbage Collection” request in Vestavia Hills Connect.