MOBILE, Ala (WALA) -- The Pinehill Drive Recycling Center in Mobile is a regular stop for Jeff Knighton who makes it a habit to drop off his recyclables at the location.

“We do it about once every two weeks, it’s not too much trouble and especially when you see images of beaches around the world that have plastic washed up on the beaches and just knowing all the waste,” he said.

This site near MPD headquarters is one of two the City of Mobile operates. The other is on Museum Drive.

The city just wrapped up a recycling survey and to say they are pleased with the results is an understatement.

They found 70% of Mobilians find it very important to recycle, more than half of those surveyed are already doing it with common household products and many said they would be interested in additional options.

“I knew it inherently that people want to recycle more, but what I needed to see was that it wasn’t just Casi being pollyanna about it, we really needed to know that’s a fact,” said City of Mobile Chief Resilience Officer Casi Callaway.

Callaway said the survey gave them details about why some do not recycle. It found the two reasons are education and convenience.

Right now, they are working on an Alabama Department of Environmental Management grant. If awarded, it would help create a new recycling drop-off center.

Based on the survey results, the city is also looking at curbside recycling again because some respondents said they might be open to paying for it.

“If people get out of the habit of recycling that can be permanent, we want to make sure you always have the opportunity to recycle,” Callaway said.

To make sure that happens, the city has established a backup contract to make sure recycling can continue without stopping. Last year, Mobile had to pause collections for three months after a fire at their regular provider.

People like Knighton believe the city’s effort on recycling is important.

“I’m not necessarily a tree hugger, I just think we should all do our part,” he said. “Take a little bit of time to do something to something a little inconvenient maybe, but in the long run it makes a big difference.”

The recycling centers are open Monday to Friday from 7 to 5 and on the weekends from 7 to 4.