Two weeks after its launch, Palm Beach County’s new trash and recycling collection system for unincorporated areas continues to generate complaints from frustrated residents.
“This issue goes beyond missed garbage collection,” said Alley E. McInnis, vice president of the Bent Tree Villas East Condominium Association, a community with 326 residences. “Did they put on a blindfold when they awarded these contracts?"
The new trash hauler for Bent Tree Villas East, Coastal Waste and Recycling, uses a one-person truck equipped with an automated arm to collect trash. With cars parked along the streets, Coastal’s trucks can't get through the curved, narrow dead-end streets, McInnis said.
The Boynton Beach residential development is not the only community
that saw a change in its trash pick-ups, or maddening disruptions.
New trash haulers began serving more than 200,000 curbside customers on Oct. 1 under seven-year contracts with the county's Solid Waste Authority. That total represents a little more than a quarter of the county’s housing units, according to the most recent U.S. Census.
Earlier this week, the Solid Waste Authority acknowledged service disruptions and said it was working with the haulers to address missed collections, monitor routes and resolve service concerns as quickly as possible.
McInnis at Bent Tree complained to County Commissioner Marci Woodward, the chair of the Solid Waste Authority. She forwarded his email to Customer Information Services Director Paul Gonsalves who replied to Woodward.
"We will continue working directly with Coastal's operations team to address the roadway and equipment concerns raised," he assured Woodward. "The concerns are understandable, especially given the level of service residents were accustomed to receiving from their previous contractor. Our goal is not simply to explain why these challenges are occurring, but to identify what needs to be corrected and ensure those corrections are implemented."
He asked residents of Bent Tree Villas East to be patient while Coastal works through its initial operational challenges.
"We will continue holding the contractor accountable for providing the reliable and consistent collection services our residents deserve," he wrote.
Gonsalves urged those experiencing issues to contact the waste authority’s Customer Information Services division at 561-697-2700.
McInnis, though, called it "inexcusable" that Coastal did not realize its trucks could not navigate through some of its streets.
"The bottom line is that our residents have had garbage sitting out for days that attracted maggots," he said.
Coastal has begun using two-person crews, with one worker manually loading trash into the truck, which is what the previous hauler did, according to McInnis.
Another issue is the failure to provide collection service to residents with disabilities that prevent them from taking their trash to the curb. McInnis said that has occurred several times at his community.
And it also occurred at Valencia Shores, a retirement community west of Lake Worth Beach. The long-time resident, Steve Goldberg, has a doctor's certificate saying he has a permanent disability that prevents him from taking his trash and recycling to the curb.
“Coastal told me I needed another certification from my doctor," said Goldberg. "My permanent condition is not going to change."
Gonsalves acknowledged to Woodward that disabled residents should have had their trash taken to the curb.
"These accommodations are important, and residents who have already been approved should not have to repeatedly request a service to which they are entitled simply because a new contractor has assumed responsibility," he wrote. "Unfortunately, the method Coastal initially utilized to communicate information to its drivers was not producing the expected results. We identified this deficiency and have since worked with Coastal to modify its procedures."
Another issue involves the Country Club Cove Property Owners Association, which saw its Solid Waste Authority fee nearly triple to $930 a month.
Association President Jack Neuman complained to The Palm Beach Post, which asked the county agency for comment. Solid Waste Authority spokesman Willie Puz said Coastal mistakenly classified the condo association as a commercial entity, noting the situation has now been addressed, and the monthly charge will be about what it was before Oct. 1.
Trash pickup costs spike 25% for HOAs west of Florida's Turnpike
Still, trash collection costs for homeowner association communities in suburban Delray Beach, Lake Worth Beach and Boca Raton have risen by as much as 25%.
The increase stems from the Sold Waste Authority's decision to place neighborhoods west of Florida's Turnpike into a collection zone that also includes large-lot homes stretching into the Glades. Those customers receive a higher level of service, including curbside pickup of up to 12 cubic yards of vegetative waste, double the previous six-cubic-yard limit.
In many HOA communities, dominated by zero-lot-line homes, residents rarely generated enough yard debris to approach the former limit. As a result, for example, several GL Home-built communities along Lyons Road have seen their fee-based bill rise to $525, an increase of about 25%.
County Commissiner Gregg Weiss, who opposed increasing the cubic-year limit to 12 cubic yards, warned earlier this year that the HOA communities would be subsidizing the larger-lot homes in the western area of the county. The measure, though, passed by a 4-2 vote.
To see what you are paying for trash pickup, you need to review your tax bill and at the bottom, you will see a fee for the Solid Waste Authority, which does not levy a millage or tax rate. It imposes a special fee on each property owner.
Mike Diamond is a journalist atThe Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida ikeNetwork. He covers Palm Beach County government. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Trash woes persist as county's new haulers face complaints | Exclusive
