Waste Pro used to provide free recycling pickup to residents, but with rising costs, they can no longer do that. Residents say their bills continue to go up as well, and the number of services is going down.
In an August commission meeting, commissioners voted to end curbside recycling pickup. Residents are upset about the rising costs, but fewer services. Watch the video above to see why the county voted for this and what neighbors say about it.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Waste Pro included curbside recycling pickup free of charge since they started handling Wakulla’s trash services, but now, with rising costs, they’ll no longer be able to do that.
County officials say, after multiple surveys, they’ve decided to end curbside pickup for recycling. But residents question that decision.
“It’s unfortunate. Now, you know, the cost of everything is going up with everything else going on these days. So not only did our costs for Waste Pro go up, but the quality and the services provided went down,” said Chris Penick, neighbor.
On Monday, Wakulla County residents stopped receiving curbside pickup for recycling from Waste Pro. Those who wish to continue recycling will have to bring it to the landfill at 159 County Landfill Road in Crawfordville.
The county conducted two surveys this past year of around 300-500 residents, asking if they would be willing to pay for the service; many said no.
“But we also asked Waste Pro to run a survey based upon their route… and of that, about 25% of the county actually recycles, is what they found as well,” explained David Edwards, the county administrator, “All three surveys matched up to each other.”
The curbside pickup was free for residents, so this change will not bring lower garbage costs to residents. However, residents are concerned about the rising costs and less services.
“Now we’re losing another service. You know, the county had to create a portal to log complaints against Waste Pro for missed services, missing bolt pickup, just a whole slew of issues,” said Penick, “A lot of our neighbors are concerned.”
While Penick was willing to pay for the service, he understood why people weren’t.
Edwards says when Waste Pro took over contracts in 2011, the county charged residents $196 a year for solid waste disposal. Now in 2025, that’s up to $204, with next year going up to $214.
“Where’s everything going?” asked Penick, “You just can’t continue on an increase like this and expect less service from our partners.”
The county says that the fee covers more than just Waste Pro.
“Our solid waste fund covers a multitude of things. One is the collection of the payment for waste. A portion of that is to pay Waste Pro for picking up the garbage in the county,” explained Edwards, “And also, we provide funding for Keep Wakulla County Beautiful for their operations to help keep our county clean. Some of that funding goes towards picking up trash on the side of the road.”
The county also receives grants from the DEP to monitor landfills and help keep the costs off of residents.
As a reminder, if you wish to recycle, you’ll have to bring your recyclables to the landfill in Crawfordville.
The county encourages residents to sign up to get surveys about topics like this in the future.
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