As Lawrence’s citywide curbside recycling program takes hold, the longtime recycling drop-off center at the Wal-Mart on South Iowa Street is closing.

Wal-Mart announced on Thursday that the recycling center, 3410 Iowa Street, will close on Jan. 31. In a release, the retailer cited a slowdown in demand for the service following the city’s introduction of a citywide curbside recycling program in October.

“When we first opened in 1994, consumer recycling opportunities were not readily accessible to the public,” said Kate Worley, senior manager of environmental services for Wal-Mart. “Now, in 2015, customers have more options than ever for recycling cardboard, paper and glass waste.”

Wal-Mart said in 2013 the facility saw a 24 percent decrease in recycling compared with the previous year. It expected recycling totals at the plant to fall even further in the future after Lawrence launched its curbside recycling program in October. The city added $2.81 to the monthly bills of all households, and it provides curbside service to all households in the city on an every-other-week basis.

Community Living Opportunities, a nonprofit that provides services to individuals with disabilities, operates the center, which is owned by Wal-Mart. Five CLO members are expected to lose their jobs when the center closes. CLO officials said they would work to match the skills of those clients with other potential job opportunities once the center closes.

“We’re grateful for the 20-year partnership we’ve had with Wal-Mart and the city of Lawrence, which has made a positive and lasting difference in the lives of individuals served by CLO who have worked at the recycling facility,” Dr. Michael Strouse, CLO chief executive officer, said in a release.

The closing of the center was not entirely unexpected. Wal-Mart officials had declined to comment on its future shortly after the city opened its curbside program. The center has been popular with rural residents, who haven’t had access to curbside programs. County officials in recent months have received questions about what type of recycling services could be provided if the center closed.

At a November joint meeting of city, county and school board officials, Douglas County Administrator Craig Weinaug said his staff was reviewing recycling options. Weinaug said Hamm Inc., the company that operates the city’s recycling processing facility, has offered to set up recycling bins at various locations throughout the county. Weinaug said the county has an interest in that but must find locations that are somewhat supervised in order to prevent large-scale dumping of nonrecyclable materials.