St. Pete recycling program could be trashed | News

St. Petersburg, Florida - The trucks are out and the blue bins waiting as crews cruise St. Pete streets picking up recyclables.

Kenwood resident Jon Moxley has the bins. "The idea of having it at the curb was tremendous. That way I didn't have it lying around all the time. We could get rid of the stuff on a weekly basis," he says.

Waste Services of Florida Inc. (WSI) serves about 8,000 homes in St. Pete, but that's far below the company's expectations. They'd like to have about 24,000 subscribers to the $2.75 a month program.

If numbers don't increase, it's likely the company won't renew its contract in October.

"We want to see positive movement," says WSI manager Ian Boyle. "We don't really have a target number, but we want to see obviously more than we're getting now."

For years, the city's drop-off centers were the only option for residents wanting to recycle and even with curbside service available, many people still use them.

"I travel a great deal, so I'm not always here on the day they pick up, so I come here. It works on my flexible schedule," says Jeff Swain while dropping off plastic and glass bottles.

There are of course, other reasons people haven't signed up for the curbside service, and WSI and the city are working on marketing plans aimed at boosting subscriber numbers. However, unless that works, it's possible the curbside recycling program could be trashed.

For more information on the program click here or call 727-572-6800.