Neighbors opposed to possible recycling plant in Collier County

Neighbors are concerned about plans to create a yard waste recycling center creating traffic in their quiet part of Collier County. The neighborhood is on Riggs Road, just off Tamiami Trail East between 951 and San Marco Road.

If you take a look at the intersection, you’ll see there isn’t much there now just a nursery and some farmland. A recycling center wants to come in but these neighbors don’t want it to disturb their peace.

“We don’t want it here!” “Not in our neighborhood.” These are just some of the shouts you can hear as neighbors take a stand against the proposed yard waste recycling center.

“No dump no dump!”  They chanted to oppose the possible recycling center coming to Riggs Road and U.S. 41 in East Naples.

They see it as a dump. Judy Appel said this is the place. “This is not a proper street for doing this kind of stuff,” Appel said.

Not only are they worried about traffic but environmental problems as well. Sandy Germain lives nearby.

“This is a gateway to Naples. This is one of the eastern gateways from Miami this is not the sort of thing that our tourists and our new homeowners should be seeing and experiencing,” Germain said.

Collier County officials say Richdale Recycling had asked to do concrete recycling and incinerating on that property but after public outcry, they settled on doing yard waste recycling. This includes things like branches and clippings.

Paul Reddish is a representative for Richdale Recycling. “We are a wholesale nursery. we sell trees and mulch and flowers and other products. We are also in the business of trying to recycle products as well organically and that’s what we do,” Reddish said.

However, he understands the issues neighborhood residents would have with incinerators. He believes it’s all a misunderstanding.

“If you hear that these things are happening like burning and incinerators and solid waste and all these other problems and certainly, I can understand why they would be upset but I assure you that certainly not what we were trying to do,” said Reddish.

Jose Novo, another neighbor is not convinced. “We don’t want it in our backyard there’s industrial plants that are appropriate areas for the use of this type of business,” Novo said.

The Collier County Planning Commission is slated to discuss the recycling center project at their meeting on Thursday. Many of those in this neighborhood plan on attending.