Spooktacular Halloween Recycling Tips

The City of Gulf Shores Public Works Department would like to share these simple tricks on how to celebrate Halloween sustainably and ensure you're not making a ghoulish mistake by throwing away or recycling the wrong items.

• DO recycle what you can. Many Halloween staples – like candy and masks – are not recyclable. But, many other items like plastic water bottles, beverage cans, clean paper plates, and cardboard boxes are recyclable.
• DO use what you have. Instead of buying a new costume packaged in plastic that can't be recycled in your curbside recycling bin, use what you have at home to make your costume.
• DO compost your jack-o'-lantern. If you are an active composter, pumpkins can be a great addition to your organic waste container. Just remember, food waste should never go in your recycling bin.
• DO invest in reusable items. When buying holiday decorations, invest in reusable items you can enjoy for years. Some examples of reusable décor items include Halloween wreaths, lights, signs, and more. Using Recyclable items reduces your environmental impact each year and keeps disposable décor out of the landfill.
• DON'T put candy wrappers in your recycling bin. Candy wrappers are often coated paper, which can't be processed into new paper. Also, wrappers are usually small, and no material smaller than a credit card should ever be placed in your recycling bin.
• DON'T trash costumes. Curbside programs cannot recycle fabric costumes and plastic and latex masks. These are great items to keep for a future Halloween or donate to your local thrift store. Getting the most use out of things like costumes is a great way to make Halloween more sustainable.
• DON'T recycle face paint and makeup. Tins and tubes of face paint and fake blood aren't recyclable. These plastic or metal containers are most likely contaminated by goopy residue, and throwing them away is best.
• DON'T toss e-waste. Halloween electronics, including animatronic decorations and other chargeable or battery-operated props, should not be tossed in your trash or recycling bin at home. Battery-operated items and e-waste require special handling. You can bring e-waste, light bulbs and paint to the Drop-Off Recycling Center during the City's next Special Recycling Days, which starts December 19.

The City of Gulf Shores offers a curbside recycling program for residents and an easily accessible Drop-Off Recycling Center open to the public. 

For more information on trash and recycling services, visit www.gulfshoresal.gov/314/Trash-Recycling.

Gulf Shores Announces Lineup for the 2023 Winter Concert Series

The City of Gulf Shores is excited to announce the 2023 Winter Concert Series lineup. All Shows will be held at the Erie H. Meyer Civic Center at 7 p.m. and require a $35 purchased ticket. Tickets are on sale now!

The lineup for the 2023 Winter Concert Series consists of the following acts:

January 30 and 31 - Jim Witter’s The Piano Men

February 6 and 7 - Riders in the Sky

Shows begin at 7 p.m., and doors open at 6 p.m. Coffee and water will be offered at intermission.

February 16 - Marc Broussard

March 2 - Paul Thorn

Shows begins at 7 p.m., and doors open at 5:30 p.m. Food trucks and a beverage tent will be onsite before and during the show.

Fans may purchase tickets in the following ways:

• Online at www.gulfshoresal.gov/winterconcertseries.
• In Person at the Gulf Shores City Store, located at 1821 Gulf Shores Pkwy. Tickets can be purchased during regular store hours: Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more information on the Winter Concert Series, please contact the Special Events Division at 251-968-1171 or visit www.gulfshoresal.gov/winterconcertseries.

Gulf Shores Fire Rescue Launches FREE Smoke Detector Installation Program

Gulf Shores Fire Rescue (GSFR) is participating in the “Get Alarmed Alabama!” smoke alarm initiative to ensure all homes throughout Gulf Shores are outfitted with at least one smoke detector. This program offers free smoke detectors and installations to qualifying City of Gulf Shores residents.

Through the Alabama Fire College, Gulf Shores Fire Rescue maintains a supply of smoke alarms which will be provided and installed by GSFR firefighters free of charge to qualifying residents. Participating in this program is easy. Residents simply visit www.gulfshoresal.gov/GetAlarmed and fill out the smoke alarm installation form. Once the form is submitted, a GSFR firefighter will contact the homeowner to schedule an installation date and time.

Please note there are qualifications that must be met to participate in this program. To find out if you qualify, please visit www.gulfshoresAL.gov/GetAlarmed.

For more information, call 251-968-7422 or email GetAlarmed@gulfshoresAL.gov.

Construction for New 8 Classroom Addition Awarded to Bed Radcliff Contractor, Inc.

At the October 10 City Council meeting, Mayor and Council voted to authorize the Mayor to execute a contract with Bed Radcliff Contractor, Inc., to construct a 12,300 sq. ft. 8 Classroom Addition at Gulf Shores Elementary School. 

The new classrooms will provide additional capacity to accommodate continued rising student enrollment. Construction will begin in November and is scheduled to be complete for the 2023-2024 school year. 

For more information about this project, contact the Public Works Department at 251-968-1156.

Movies at Meyer Park Starts October 27

The City of Gulf Shores is excited to announce the fifth annual Movies at Meyer Park series is scheduled to begin Thursday, October 27. Locals and visitors are invited to bring their lawn chairs and blankets and join us at Meyer Park for a free movie under the stars.

Movies at Meyer Park will feature a series of three films brought to you by Small Town, Big Beach Productions.

• October 27 - Scooby Doo 2 (PG)
• November 10 - Dog (PG-13)
• December 15 - Elf (PG)

All Movies at Meyer Park showings are free to the public and begin at 6 p.m. Meyer Park is located in the Waterway Village District at 400 East 22nd Avenue in Gulf Shores. Food trucks will be present at each event for those wanting to purchase food, and the Coastal Alabama Business Chamber will be onsite selling beverages for all ages to enjoy.

For more information visit 

www.gulfshoresal.gov/SpecialEvents.

Gulf Shores High School Kicks Off Recycling Program

This year, the freshman class at Gulf Shores High School kicked off a recycling program with help from the City of Gulf Shores, Gulf Shores City Schools, and the Alabama Association of RC&D.

Each Thursday, six freshman classes collect, weigh, tally and recycle over 60 recycling bins for the entire school. For the first five weeks, students recycled a total of 602.3 pounds of classroom recyclables!

We would like to say a special thank you to the Alabama Association of RC&D for the grant used to purchase recycling bins and scales for this program!

Haunted Hustle Returns to Gulf Place Public Beach Saturday, Oct. 22

Haunted Hustle is this Saturday! Locals and visitors are invited to wear their best Halloween costumes and participate in this horrifyingly fun event featuring a Haunted Hustle 5K, Fun Run, Witches on Wheels, children's activities, and a live DJ.

Proceeds for this event benefit the Dolphin Foundation for Education and Arts, who will also be selling pizza and refreshments, including beer and wine, on-site.

Click here for more information or to register!