WFLX learned why Port St. Lucie is closing a solid waste drop-off center next January.<\/p>\n
This comes after we\u2019ve covered trash collection issues in the area for years.<\/p>\n
Local leaders said it\u2019ll save the city and taxpayers around $2 million. But WFLX\u2019s Tyler Hatfield spoke to some residents who want to see it kept open. <\/p>\n
Taylor Shipp from Port St. Lucie used the facility because it was close to her home on Cameo Avenue.<\/p>\n
\u201cTaking it [there] was perfect,\u201d said Shipp. \u201cLiterally five minutes away from the house too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shipp said she remembers it being used often when it first opened.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would be packed all the way down to Crosstown Parkway,\u201d said Shipp. \u201cYou could have a line all the way there, even sometimes in the morning.\u201d <\/p>\n
But come Jan. 5, the city will close the facility, after citing usage being down and the cost too high to keep it running. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere were only about a quarter of our population that were using it,\u201d said Scott Samples, public information officer for the city of Port St. Lucie.<\/p>\n
Samples said the drop-off center opened in 2021, after the city\u2019s previous waste collection vendor, Waste Pro, wasn\u2019t collecting trash in a timely fashion.<\/p>\n
But Shipp said usage is down now because of restrictions at the drop-off center.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s definitely gotten stricter where, can\u2019t take the yard waste there anymore,\u201d said Shipp. \u201cHalf the time it seems to be closed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Samples said restrictions were put in place at the facility because of excessive contractor and commercial use.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe really tried to put in some restrictions that would make it more easily accessible by our residents,\u201d said Samples.<\/p>\n
Now, residents will have to use monthly curb-side bulk collection, schedule a pickup, or take waste to the St. Lucie County landfill.<\/p>\n
Even with $2 million worth of savings for taxpayers, Shipp said it should remain open.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving this makes a big difference,\u201d said Shipp. \u201cIt helps clean up the neighborhoods and it doesn\u2019t look trashy.\u201d<\/p>\n
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