Fayetteville, W.Va. (WVDN) – Bud’s Recycling Co-op serving Fayette County is celebrating a major award – 2025 Social Enterprise of the Year from the West Virginia Hive. The co-op will also host a free community Winter Gathering from 7 to 10 p.m. January 17, 2026, at the Three Gables Club.
Founded in early 2025 by Daniel Love, Erin Collins and Chris Sefkin, Bud’s Recycling Co-op provides Fayetteville, Oak Hill and other Fayette County residents with a sustainable way to recycle unsorted items not accepted by city and county garbage haulers. Weekly pickups at households, businesses and schools of co-op members reduces landfill waste and increases environmental benefits.
Since the founding of Bud’s Recycling Co-op, the WV Hive, the entrepreneurial program of the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority, has provided on-going business advising to the co-founders. Devon Fitzgerald is the WV Hive regional business advisor supporting the emerging social enterprise.
In presenting the award to Bud’s Recycling Co-op, Fitzgerald said, “Our Social Enterprise of the Year award recognizes a business that blends entrepreneurial innovation with meaningful community and environmental impact. This year’s honoree is doing exactly that and reshaping what sustainability looks like in Fayette County. The innovative entrepreneurs at Bud’s Recycling Co-op launched Fayetteville’s first-ever curbside recycling service with a simple but powerful goal: to make recycling accessible, convenient, and community-driven.”
The co-op’s model empowers members, reinvests locally, and builds a culture of shared responsibility for the community. Co-founders plan to expand into glass recycling and composting, and their vision for long-term environmental stewardship continues to grow. Its recycling efforts in 2025 have already diverted thousands of pounds of recyclable materials from landfills.
To celebrate and raise awareness of its mission, Bud’s Recycling Co-op is hosting its first-ever Winter Gathering on Saturday, January 17, at Three Gables Club. The event will include a short co-op meeting, followed by live music from Mill Creek Cronies, a chili bar, and a silent auction supporting local recycling.
This event is free and open to the community, but registration is required. RSVP at: https://www.eventbrite.com/…/buds-recycling-co-op…
More about Bud’s Recycling Co-op is at https://www.budsrecyclingcoop.com/
WV Hive is the entrepreneurship program of the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority, serving Raleigh, Fayette, Summers, Nicholas, Webster, Greenbrier, Pocahontas, Monroe, Mercer, McDowell, Wyoming, Logan, and Mingo counties.
To learn more about the WV Hive, become a client, or book a tour of the new Business Hub, visit https://wvhive.com.
