After more than a year’s hiatus, the curbside recycling program has been expanded and is returning to Tuscaloosa this week.

The April 27, 2011, tornado destroyed much of the equipment used by the city of Tuscaloosa’s Environmental Services Department, including every vehicle used to collect recyclable materials.

Seven city-managed drop-off locations for recycled items were re-­established in September, but the convenience of curbside recycling for cans, paper and cardboard had not returned until now.

Blue bins for household recyclable items were distributed several weeks ago to each of the city’s 25,000 residential garbage customers. With the changes to the garbage collection schedule in the wake of the storm, recycled materials will be collected on the same day as garbage and trash...