ATHENS, Ala. (WHNT) – A major North Alabama recycling center will soon be closing.

Tuesday morning, Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful announced the Athens-Limestone Recycling Center will be closing soon, saying the organization lost the lease to the building. The center will remain open until an official closing date has been determined.

KALB’s Executive Director Leigh Patterson said, “Right now, the center will be open for a few weeks, for people to go ahead and bring their recyclables to the center to clean out what they have.”

KALB said the decision does not affect curbside recycling provided by the City of Athens. However, county residents will need to find another way.

“Right now, they will not have anywhere to recycle,” Patterson told News 19. “Unfortunately we are going to have to discontinue those services.”

KALB said at this time it is not looking at any other locations or to re-open.

News 19 reached out to the company that owns the property, Custom Polymers, Inc., to learn why the lease was not renewed. A spokesperson said that it decided to sell the property on Lucas Ferry Road.

In a statement the company said:

Athens Limestone Recycling has been a valued tenant in that building for many years.  They had previously expressed an interest in purchasing the building but notified us recently that they were no longer interested. As a result the partnership group has decided to put the building on the market and has given termination notice to the recycling center so that it can prepare the property for marketing.

Custom Polymers, Inc. Spokesperson

Questions or concerns can be directed to KALBcares@gmail.com or (256) 233-8000.

The recycling center is partially staffed by state inmates with a work release program. News 19 has reached out to the Alabama Department of Corrections to learn if those inmates will be given opportunities elsewhere.