Priority Waste, the Clinton Township-based trash hauler facing increasing customer frustration in several metro Detroit communities this summer, offered a mea culpa letter from its new CEO to residents following announcements in some communities that it was unable to make pickups.
Garbage collection has been an ongoing problem for the company as residents and local officials have become increasingly fed up with the waste management company’s service — or, in their view, lack of it.
Thursday, July 30, Sumpter Township said Priority Waste was unable to meet its schedule.
It was just the latest of several communities to experience delays.
"If your regular collection day is Wednesday and your rubbish has not been collected, please leave your trash receptacle
out," the township said on social media. "Priority Waste will be working to complete the remaining portion of Wednesday's route today."
The letter from Aaron Johnson, which the City of Wyandotte posted on its social media account, noted that a month ago he had taken "full accountability for the service failures" and offered his "sincere apology."
He also announced what he called a "five-point recovery plan focused on making measurable improvements, strengthened operations, and consistently reliable service" and announced a "six-figure investment" and the "rental of 32 new collection trucks."
But will that be enough to soothe angry customers?
In early June, the Free Press reported several municipalities — including St. Clair Shores, Dearborn Heights and Westland — demanded improvements from Priority Waste. Some said they also were weighing actions against the company.
A few local officials went so far as to speculate that the company had expanded too fast, signing more contracts than it had the capacity to fulfill. Priority Waste expanded its southeast Michigan operations by acquiring GFL Environmental’s municipal collection operations.
By the end of June, Garden City told residents it, too, had "ongoing service delays."
And earlier this month, irritation with the company boiled over in Grosse Pointe Park. There, the City Council unanimously voted to dump the company and replace it with Warren-based Express Waste Services. The new contract, city officials acknowledged, will cost more.
Priority Waste — which also goes by the shortened name Priority — started, it said, in 2018 with a fleet of just "four roll-off trucks" and less than 10 workers. The company says it serves about 125 municipalities in Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana.
It has a workforce of about 1,200 employees, with Johnson saying in his letter that he hired 100 more drivers. The company also boasts on its website that its goal is to "lead the way in efficiency, sustainability, and customer satisfaction."
Johnson, who started at the company on June 1, said the company understood the frustrations and "are working every day to earn back your trust." He also promised in his letter that the company would "never turn a blind eye" to a customer with service delays.
Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Priority Waste promises fed up customers it is making improvements
