MIDLAND, Texas — The Citizens Collection Station is one of - if not the most - popular recycling center in Midland.
Which is why Midland City Council approved of not one, but two new stations to be built in the City of Midland.
The city will be spending around $6.5 million for the two new stations, even as the current one near Claydesta is still a popular spot.
One man, Brandon Gabaldon, only recently started to go to the station but appreciates how the station allows him to dump things for free.
“We actually checked out a couple of places. We called the others, I don’t know them by name, but they were charging for us to dump," Gabaldon said. "We called this place and they said just come on over and bring whatever and we’ll go ahead and dispose of it for you.”
The new stations will be in the western and eastern parts of Midland, which will give Midlanders more opportunities to recycle.
City Councilman Jack Ladd pointed out to some landmarks that the new stations could be at.
"We’re going to have an east and a west station," Ladd said. "The best landmark to describe it is Cinergy, the movie theatre, will be the west collection station while the east is the water tower as you’re going towards Lamesa or Lubbock on the 349.”
So, why are these new stations popping up?
It’s because Midland just keeps growing and this way, people can have somewhere to get rid of large items like furniture and mattresses instead of dumping them in an alley.
“Its a nice central location, but as Midland has grown, it’s gotten harder and harder to reach," Ladd said. "We were lacking capacity honestly, so this will quadruple our capacity with two new stations."
It seems like Midlanders are on board, as long as the stations aim for the same goal they've always had: Recycle and conserve what they can.
“We want to do our part to conserve and to take care of the newspapers and the plastics," Midland resident Carole Jacobs said. "Hopefully they are using them and redoing them and using them for something."
Meanwhile, the current station will close down, but not until the new stations are complete.