Recyclops Shuts Down In Lawton: What This Means For Residents

The current Recyclops franchise owners for Lawton have officially announced that Recyclops will no longer be operating in Lawton. On Friday, May 8, Nathan and Diana Watts let Lawton Recyclops subscribers know that Recyclops will officially be shutting down in town and that Friday was their last day.

Diana Watts stated that she received official word from Recyclops corporate office early Friday afternoon confirming that the company would no longer service Lawton. At the end of April, Recyclops subscribers in Lawton received a letter stating that Nathan and Diana Watts would not be renewing the Recyclops franchise in Lawton due to family matters, and a new franchise owner had not been found.

The main reason Recyclops could not find a new franchise operator is because Lawton does not have a local recycling facility.

Diana Watts said the biggest problem they experienced while being the Lawton franchisees for Recyclops is not being able to drop off recycling locally. Lawton does not have a recycling facility, so Watts and her family would have to take the recycling collected in Lawton to Waste Management in Oklahoma City.

They would collect a ton of recycling a month from Lawton Recylcops subscribers and they would have to transport the recycling to Oklahoma City to be sorted and recycled. She said the recycling having to be transported from Lawton to Oklahoma City is the main reason Recyclops could not find a new franchisee, and why the company wasn't able to operate with local contractors.

The recycling from Lawton could not be taken to the Fort Sill Recycling Center due to limited capacity.

When they first took over the Lawton Recyclops franchise three years ago, Diana Watts reached out the Fort Sill Recycling Center about bringing the Lawton recycling to the facility. However, at the time, Diana Watts said administrators of the facility were unable to take the recycling from Lawton due to limited capacity and manpower.

The Fort Sill Recycling Center is open to Fort Sill residents and the community of Lawton. And now that Recyclops will officially no longer operate in Lawton, it may be the only option for Lawton citizens who want to recycle.

Lawton residents want to recycle, but they have no where to take it.

After three years of immersing herself in recycling, Diana Watts knows there are plenty of Lawton citizens who want to recycle. She said the problem with Lawton in regards to recycling is that there is no recycling facility for people to take their recycling to in Lawton.

Even though Lawton residents can take their recycling to the Fort Sill Recycling Center, the center, according to Diana Watts, can really only handle recycling from those living on Fort Sill, even though the center is open to both communities. So if Lawton residents want to continue recycling efficiently, it may be time for them to look to the City of Lawton to construct a local recycling facility.

Lawton's Worst Roads As Voted By You

Roads have always been a hot topic in Lawton. The local government always promises to fix them when elections are at stake, but the improvements never come. It's more of the same, crumbling roads and band-aid patches due to what the city describes as "too little funding," even though we continually vote for bonds to satisfy these issues.

Here are the worst commonly used roads in Lawton as voted by you.

Gallery Credit: Kelso

Closed Lawton Restaurants We All Wish Were Still Open

Do you ever get that bummer feeling when you're craving a meal that just isn't available anymore? Or better yet, not necessarily the food as much as the people and ambiance you grew up with? Hundreds of restaurants have come and gone in Lawton, Oklahoma, but here's a quick list of eateries we all wish were still around.

Gallery Credit: Kelso