CRAWFORDVILLE, Fla. (WTXL) — Waste Pro ended curbside pickup for recycling back in September, restricting options for some neighbors. Now, the Rei's of Crawfordville are picking up where they left off, creating their own recycling service.
- Gabe and Amanda Rei have been collecting recycling for residents for about a month.
- They currently serve more than 30 customers.
- Watch the video below to learn more about this small business and how their serving neighbors.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
At the end of September, Waste Pro and the county ended curbside pickup for recycling. This left neighbors to have to take their recycling from their home to the Waste Pro facility themselves.
One local couple saw the need for recycling pickup and decided to pick up where they left off.
For around a month, the Rei's of Crawfordville have been picking up recycling for many around the county. They want to help people keep Wakulla county beautiful.
"We want to keep as much waste as we can out of our local communities. You know, places like Wakulla Springs or Ochlockonee River, Ochlockonee Bay, you know, we want to keep it as clean as we can," said Amanda Rei, co-owner of Rei's Recycling. "And I think that recycling is a major key to that, you know, that it helps keep more things out of the landfill and to be reused."
This local business stems from the public outcry on social media after the county and Waste Pro ended curbside pickup in late September.
In the current setup, residents who choose to recycle will have to bring their recycling to the Waste Pro facility in Crawfordville. Rei says that providing this service helps bring convenience to residents.
"I know that they still offer to drop it off yourself at Waste Pro, you know. But that's hard, not only for elderly and disabled people, but working people, which is the majority of what live here, and we are that as well," explained Rei.
That convenience can bring the almost 50-minute round-trip drive for people living on Mashes Sand Road in Panacea down to zero because they wouldn't have to drop it off themselves.
In their first month, the business has grown to 30-plus customers around the county. With those 30 customers, they had almost one ton of recycling alone at their first drop off to Marpan on the 1st.
In our previous coverage, the county said it decided to end it because of surveys it held. Those surveys showed that only 25% of the county recycles, and that neighbors didn't want to pay extra to continue the service.
They say that regardless of whether the county brings back the pickup, they'll continue to serve our neighborhoods.
If you're interested in their service, view the information below.
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