MedxWaste and OnSite Shredding has a new location in Pearland after a local couple opted to open a franchise due to the need for medical disposal within the family, co-owner David Barker said.

The business is run by Barker's wife, Christie, while Barker acts as the “face” of the operation, he said. The company was started out of a need to better deal with the medical equipment their daughter, who is diabetic, was going through.

“All the needles and waste started piling up,” Barker said. “We couldn’t find anyone to deal with it.”

As a result, the couple started the company and have also expanded it to include other materials, such as recycling, shredding and disposing of computer hardware, Barker said.

The business is a franchise from MedxWaste, which has a handful of other locations across the United States, according to the company’s website.