As of Sunday, Dave and Jill Campbell are officially off the clock.

Although the former owners of Island Recycling might have desired a quiet exit, signs of their impending retirement could not be missed by adoring longtime customers, many of whom have become treasured friends over the years.

The 42-year-old recycling business, however, will live on. DTG Enterprises, a corporation that has recycling facilities around the Seattle area, has taken over the contract with Island County – which runs through the end of 2025 – and will continue to operate Island Recycling.

The eclectic hub for dropping off recyclables — as well as trash and the occasional unusual item — is a busy and iconic location for those living on South Whidbey. Some come almost daily to sort through their stuff, or to find treasures to decorate their home. People have even been known to bring their guests from foreign countries to experience Island Recycling firsthand.

“If I’m proudest of anything, I’m proudest of the community this place brings,” Jill said. “It’s funky, maybe some newcomers don’t like it so much, but we have people that come here every day and walk it like it was a garden and they meet their neighbors.”

Dave started Island Recycling in 1979, at a time when recycling wasn’t the most fashionable activity. He had previously been recycling materials out of his own backyard and stepped forward when the county was searching for someone to take on the responsibility of recycling at an old landfill near Freeland.

Both he and Jill, who got involved with the business in 1990, did not expect the recycling center to grow in the way it did.

“It’s sort of turned into this monster now that’s bigger than we are, in terms of trying to keep up with the demand for hauling stuff in and getting stuff hauled out,” said Dave, who has been hauling a truckful of recyclables over to the mainland on a daily basis.

Over the years they’ve seen the business evolve. The resale aspect of Island Recycling, which used to attract “a lot of old guys looking to fix their lawnmowers,” according to Dave, has become a draw for metal artists and fabricators in search of usable raw materials.

“I really don’t know of any place else that has as much stuff spread out for retail and tries to accomplish as many stuff in one spot as we do,” Dave said.

The clientele has expanded too, with more and more people moving to Whidbey from the cities during the pandemic.

The Campbells acknowledged that their thorough process of sorting might come as a surprise to city slickers accustomed to dumping it all in one bin.

“It makes recycling much more meaningful if you have to think about which material goes where,” Dave said.

Some unusual objects have made their way to Island Recycling over the years. On one occasion, Jill had just told her daughter they couldn’t afford to buy her an American Girl doll when one showed up at Island Recycling. A man was looking to get rid of all the items his renter had left behind, and one of those things happened to be a Samantha doll, perfectly intact.

Another time, someone made “I Saw Elvis at Island Recycling” bumper stickers as a joke.

“After that, someone brought in a bust of Elvis,” Dave said. “So that was pretty cool.”

Running the business has not been without its challenges, including people trying to get rid of things that are not recyclable such as dead seagulls in shoeboxes.

“The markets are constantly in flux,” Jill said. “There were really, really hard years for us. Even with county subsidies for low value things, it was tough to get by.”

In recent years, the couple began thinking about retirement.

“We love this place. It’s bigger than us,” Jill said. “And with a new company, they’re going to get some benefits that we’re really happy they’re going to get, because we do love our crew.”

Tom Vaughn, the CEO of DTG Recycle, DTG Enterprises’ core business, said the current staff of Island Recycling will be retained and offered additional employee benefits, such as health insurance, a 401k, tuition reimbursements and free training for a commercial driver’s license which is needed to drive trucks.

The transfer of operations happened Feb. 1. Vaughn said Island Recycling will immediately start offering Styrofoam recycling and mattress recycling. With DTG Recycle’s wide variety of plastic recycling, this allows some materials to be incorporated into the company’s own clothing line, PlanetObsessed.

In their final days as the owners of Island Recycling, Dave and Jill spent time bidding customers farewell and collecting the majority of their sentimental and beloved decorations.

“All the Elvises have left the building,” Jill said. “I didn’t even know I liked Elvis, but he’s kind of a mascot.”

The most loyal of customers were awarded coveted decorations they had been promised for years, such as a black velvet painting or a sculpture of an elephant.

“It’s a community spot, and I hope it stays that way,” Jill said. “We love the community and it’s been a hell of a fun time for us.”

Photo by Dave Welton Jill Campbell was given a commemorative plaque from friends on her and Dave’s last day. Mike Scott, right, dressed up and gave a retirement blessing.

Photo by Dave Welton A customer sorts through scrap metal at Island Recycling. Artists and fabricators enjoy scoping out the wares on a regular basis.