As new garbage companies assume trash pickup routes for the county's Solid Waste Authority, residents in unincorporated parts of the Palm Beaches have faced missed collections and delays. In some cases, trash has remained on sidewalks for more than three days.
"As our new haulers transition into their service areas, we're aware of issues," the county's governing agency for trash collection and recycling said on its website. "The SWA is actively working with the contracted haulers to address missed collections, monitor routes and resolve service concerns as quickly as possible."
The disruption in service follows the Solid Waste Authority's February awarding of trash and recycling contracts in five zones. The areas cover different communities in the southern,
northern and western regions of the county.
The new haulers began serving more than 200,000 curbside residences on Oct. 1 under seven-year contracts. That total represents a little more than a quarter of the county's housing units according to the the most recent U.S. Census figures.
The transition has been far from smooth, the Solid Waste Authority has conceded. Residents and community organizations have taken notice.
"It has been a real problem out here," said Bob Morgan, president of the Acreage Landowners Association. "People need to complain, and too many of them are not doing that. As a result, the trash sits there until the next pickup, which can be three or four days away. And I do not see all that much improvement."
Acreage resident Carlos Madrid posted on Facebook that the new company destroyed his garbage can on the first day of pickup.
Some trash haulers also distributed flyers listing conflicting pickup dates, leaving residents unsure when to set out their trash and recycling.
"It was very confusing," said Beth Rappaport, who lives in Colony Preserve west of Boynton Beach. Her community received flyers with two different pickup dates.
Solid Waste Authority spokesman Willie Puz acknowledged the communication breakdown. He said that once the county agency was notified, the trash hauler quickly distributed a corrected flyer with the proper pickup date.
Several Valencia communities along Lyons Road also reported missed collections. Puz said the performance of trash haulers has steadily improved as complaints have declined in recent days.
Although the transition involved some growing pains, Puz said the haulers are increasingly meeting expectations.
The haulers bid on trash and recycling pickup for five zones in unincorporated areas under the county's jurisdiction.
Residents report missed pickups, conflicting schedules
Coastal Waste and Recycling won the contract for Zone 3, an area that encompasses much of the region west of State Road 7 in the central part of the county.
That zone generated more than half of the complaints submitted to the Solid Waste Authority from Oct. 1 to Oct. 13. More than 3,000 customers called the county agency to complain about service in Zone 3, which includes the Acreage.
Social media reports also cited long customer-service wait times as residents called to report missed collections or ask questions about their service. Those reports also cite carts left in the street.
Zone 3 alone generated roughly as many daily complaints as the Solid Waste Authority typically receives from the entire unincorporated service area, according to data provided to The Palm Beach Post by waste authority spokesman Puz.
Coastal also has the contract for Zone 1, an area that encompasses much of northern Palm Beach County. It generated 1,178 complaints, again much higher than normal.
The waste authority received more than 5,600 customer complaints between Oct. 1 and Oct. 13, more than double the normal figure.
Puz noted that when waste authority last awarded new contracts, complaints filed with the agency were even higher. “Compared with the last collections contract in 2019, call volume is down 18%,” he said.
Anyone experiencing a missed collection should contact the waste authority's Customer Information Services section at 561-697-2700.
Mike Diamond is a journalist atThe Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. 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 pickup change sparks complaints in Palm Beach County | Exclusive
