GREENWOOD — Trash is piling up across Central Indiana and customers are fed up. It’s not a new issue; it’s one that’s been happening for nearly a year.
“You pay people for a service, and they don’t do it,” one Johnson County resident said.
“They were not prepared for the switch over,” Johnson County resident Becky Hylton added.
Residents who live in a neighborhood near North Bluff Road and West Fairview Road in Johnson County reached out to WRTV because they were having concerns with their inconsistent trash service.
Some said they haven’t had their trash picked up in weeks. The residents say they trash is supposed to be pick up by Waste Management.
“I’ve lived here 17 years and never missed a week of having my trash picked up,” Rick Byerly said. “They said that they were going to come every day this week — we haven’t seen them yet."
The two are voicing their frustrations over what they say is inconsistent trash pickup by the company Waste Management.
“Waste Management takes over and I’ve had my trash picked up once in the last 6 weeks,” Byerly told WRTV on Thursday.
Last year, Waste Management bought out Ray’s Trash Service. Over the summer, Waste Management told WRTV they were dealing with a shortage of trash trucks. The Shelby County Health Department stepped in, saying they were very concerned.
Customers' frustrations continued into December.
In January, Waste Management blamed issues on a need to replace trucks and added they were working to have their full service up and running by early February.
Waste Management released a statement to WRTV that reads in part.
"As part of the Ray’s Trash Service transition, WM has made it a priority to focus on streamlining operations, equipment, technology, and service - to keep safety at the forefront of all that we do, in addition to cultivating a people-first culture.
Every acquisition looks different, with various and expected challenges to overcome - based on the location, the size of the company, the number of employees, the number of assets, operating protocol, safety standards, company culture, etc. While WM works to streamline and integrate operations quickly, we make safety a core value without compromise, and work to ensure that all operating protocol, including employee safety and assets (trucks, etc.) exceed industry safety standards.
This month, WM is working diligently to welcome Ray’s Trash Customers into the WM suite of customer communications and implementing WM technology in collection trucks across the greater Indianapolis area. This began in early February and will continue over the coming weeks. During this time, our customers can continue to expect an improvement in service and customer communications - and while WM works to mitigate every challenge during this time, we keep safety at the forefront as we service our local communities."
