PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — WPTV learned why Port St. Lucie is closing a solid waste drop-off center next January.
This comes after we've covered trash collection issues in the area for years.
WATCH: Closure could save city and taxpayers around $2 million
Local leaders said it’ll save the city and taxpayers around $2 million. But WPTV's Tyler Hatfield spoke to some residents who want to see it kept open.
Taylor Shipp from Port St. Lucie used the facility because it was close to her home on Cameo Avenue.
“Taking it [there] was perfect,” said Shipp. “Literally five minutes away from the house too.”
Shipp said she remembers it being used often when it first opened.
“It would be packed all the way down to Crosstown Parkway,” said Shipp. “You could have a line all the way there, even sometimes in the morning."
But come Jan. 5, the city will close the facility, after citing usage being down and the cost too high to keep it running.
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“There were only about a quarter of our population that were using it,” said Scott Samples, public information officer for the city of Port St. Lucie.
Samples said the drop-off center opened in 2021, after the city's previous waste collection vendor, Waste Pro, wasn't collecting trash in a timely fashion.
But Shipp said usage is down now because of restrictions at the drop-off center.
“It's definitely gotten stricter where, can't take the yard waste there anymore,” said Shipp. “Half the time it seems to be closed.”
Samples said restrictions were put in place at the facility because of excessive contractor and commercial use.
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“We really tried to put in some restrictions that would make it more easily accessible by our residents,” said Samples.
Now, residents will have to use monthly curb-side bulk collection, schedule a pickup, or take waste to the St. Lucie County landfill.
Even with $2 million worth of savings for taxpayers, Shipp said it should remain open.
“Having this makes a big difference,” said Shipp. “It helps clean up the neighborhoods and it doesn't look trashy.”
