CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Bill and Joan Gregory have lived in Chesapeake for 17 years and they're avid recyclers. The retired couple says that since curbside recycling ended back in June, it's a little harder to do a good deed.
"There was nothing easier than rolling a bin down the street," Bill Gregory said. "Now, I have to put it in my car and take it to the drop-off point and personally sort the cardboard from the other material, which is not a huge deal, but it is not as convenient as it was."
According to Chesapeake Recycles, 7,000 people petitioned to bring it back. Despite the effort, the City of Chesapeake decided to end the contract with TFC Recycling.
Residents can sign up for private subscription-based pickup, but the price for weekly to biweekly pickup ranges from $15 to $22 a month. The Gregory's told News 3 that they tried to sign up but there was a problem.
"We signed up with a company that came to the door and then a couple days later they called me back and said that they didn't serve our area," Gregory said. "The city needs to understand that for those of us who are outside or in other fairly densely populated areas it's less available."
For some people, the cost of the subscriptions is more than they can afford.
"There's an awful lot of folks that the only thing they have is their social security to live on," Joan Gregory said.
There's also the option to drive to seven different drop-off sites, however for the Gregory's, a trip to and from is about seven miles each way. With the price of gas going up and down, they're left wondering what's the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly thing to do.
"It makes you wonder, is more fuel burned by making me go to the drop-off location or having some truck pick it up"? Bill Gregory said.
While the Gregory's hope curbside can one day come back, the expectation now is to get on the same page as the city to explore all options, and maybe meet each other halfway.
Click or tap here for more information about Chesapeake Recycles.
