Latest news with #trashcollection
CBS News
3 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Inconsistent trash pickup plagues some Washington County residents
Some residents of Sycamore, Washington County, said there have only been eight garbage pickups this year. Marcia McConnell said she's fed up with her trash collection company, Triple H Disposal. She said it's been excuse after excuse since the beginning of the year. "In the middle of March, we had missed five out of 10 garbage pickups, McConnell said. "So, I called the office, spoke to them, and they said the truck broke down and they were delayed." At that time, McConnell sympathized with the company. But when April came around, it was deja vu. She called the company back and was told the driver quit, taking his routes with him and now they don't know where McConnell's is located. Triple H Disposal promised her that it would not happen again because it was merging with another company. "We did not get another pickup until July 2," McConnell said. McConnell sent email after email to the company, pleading for answers and asking for a refund. But she did not get a response. In the meantime, her garbage continued to pile up, attracting animals and emitting an indescribable stench. "They kept telling us to set it out and that somebody would come and get it. Every morning we'd go out and the animals in the neighborhood had tore it up," McConnell said. Triple H Disposal came through on Thursday and picked up the trash that had been out since July 2. At this point, McConell says it's not even about the money anymore, even though she's paid in full through the end of the year. The only thing she wants is for Triple H Disposal to pick up the trash every week. "I can guarantee in January, we will be looking for someone new," McConnell said. KDKA reached out to Triple H Disposal but did not hear back on Friday.
CBS News
21-07-2025
- CBS News
Trash troubles continue in Philadelphia weeks after DC 33 strike ends
Regular trash collection resumed last week after the end of AFSCME District Council 33's strike, but Philadelphia residents have reported that bags and debris continue to pile up in their neighborhoods. On Monday, part of 59th and Rodman streets was lined with bags of garbage and debris that neighbors said had only grown since the strike's start. While this spot was cleaned up in the afternoon, other people are still dealing with trash troubles. "It's just a great feeling," William Walter said. "I can't describe it to you." Walter watched as sanitation crews cleared the mound of trash that had been left around the corner from his Southwest Philadelphia home. Walter said that garbage started to pile up here during the strike and only continued to grow. He reached out to CBS News Philadelphia about the issue, and just a short time later, cleanup was underway. "How good it felt for me to use my voice and a microphone to get it done," Walter said. "And I want to thank you guys from the bottom of my heart." But this isn't the only spot in the city dealing with illegal dumping issues. "This is right by somebody's house. We live here," Yolanda Murray of North Philadelphia said. "It's a mess around here, on mostly every corner." Murray's North Philly home sits near multiple piles of dumped and rotting trash. She said she's now had to put rat poison out in her backyard. "We literally see the rats running around," Murray said. "I don't go in my yard. I don't go in my yard at night." Murray said she's tried to call 3-1-1 multiple times to have the trash piles cleaned up, but so far, it hasn't worked. "Every two days, it's coming, they're coming, they're coming," Murray said. "We ain't seen nobody come." Philadelphia Sanitation Commissioner Crystal Jacobs Shipman acknowledges illegal dumping has been a challenge as they play catch-up following the strike. Still, she said they're not turning a blind eye to it. "As can be expected, the system is kind of overwhelmed at this very point," Shipman said. CBS News Philadelphia showed Shipman photos of the issues in North Philly. "Some of the photos that you actually captured, Dan, that you shared with us, those we should be able to respond to within three to five business days," Shipman said. But with pests running around and a stench in the air, Murray's patience is running out. "We should have it fair, just like everybody else," Murray said. "Come clean our neighborhood up." Shipman said they've caught up on residential trash pickup and hope to do so with recycling by the end of the week. Meantime, they are working with police to catch and fine illegal dumpers. She said if you see someone in the act, call 911. If it's after the fact, call 311.
CBS News
21-07-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Republic Services trash strike heads to court after 6 Massachusetts communities sue
Six cities and towns in Massachusetts struggling with the Republic Services trash collectors strike will go to court Monday. The communities - Canton, Danvers, Gloucester, Beverly, Peabody and Malden - are suing to force the company to pick up growing piles of garbage and recycling. Union workers walked off the job July 1 demanding better pay and benefits from Republic Services. The strike has now lasted three weeks. The six communities filed a joint complaint last Thursday, asking a judge to intervene in the strike. A hearing will be held at 2 p.m. Monday in Salem Superior Court. "We filed suit to try to get some relief from the courts to require Republic to pick up our trash and recycling," Beverly Mayor Michael Cahill told WBZ-TV last week. Cahill said Republic Services told them earlier this summer that if there was a strike, the towns wouldn't have to worry. "They promised that they were a big national company, and they would have resources in our communities to pick up our trash and recycling," Cahill said. The mayor added that health department inspectors found about 25 Republic dumpsters overflowing in Beverly last week. "It is disappointing that these six communities have taken this route as we continue to work with our municipal partners to address their needs," Republic Services said in a statement after the lawsuit was filed. The company and Teamsters Local 25 have been meeting with a federal mediator but have not been able to agree on a new contract. Republic has contracts for trash pickup in 14 cities and towns across Massachusetts and with businesses in other communities, including Newton and Boston.
CBS News
17-07-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Republic Services trash strike now "beyond a headache," Massachusetts governor says
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey wants Republic Services to cut a deal and end a 17-day-long trash collectors strike. Union workers walked off the job on July 1, demanding better pay and benefits. The company and Teamsters Local 25 have been meeting with a federal mediator but can't agree on a new contract. The strike has left dumpsters overflowing at business in several communities, including Boston and Newton. Republic also has contracts for trash pickup in 14 cities and towns across Massachusetts where garbage has been piling up for nearly three weeks. "It has now been three weeks of no trash pick up in several Massachusetts communities, and this has gone beyond a headache for residents, businesses and municipalities - it is a public health concern and it's expensive for everyone. Sanitation workers do essential work to keep our neighborhoods clean and healthy, and they deserve fair wages, benefits and protections," Healey, a Democrat, said in a statement Thursday. "Republic Services needs to come to the table and reach a fair deal - it's time to get people back to work and resume services to our communities as soon as possible." Most of the communities affected in Massachusetts are on the North Shore. Republic trash and recycling collections are currently on hold in Beverly, Canton, Danvers, Gloucester, Ipswich, Lynnfield, Malden, Manchester-By-The-Sea, Marblehead, North Reading, Peabody, Swampscott, Wakefield and Watertown. Beverly Mayor Mike Cahill said his city and five other affected communities will file a complaint in Salem Superior Court Thursday for injunctive relief, asking the court to get involved in ending the strike. Cahill said Beverly has also warned Republic Services that the city plans to add up damages for trash and recycling not being picked up there and will then withhold that amount from its next payment to the company. In Peabody, the city council sent a letter to billionaire Bill Gates earlier this week, asking him to use his influence to help end the strike. Gates controls Cascade Investment LLC, a major shareholder in Republic Services.
Daily Mail
16-07-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE I left a bad review for a rubbish collection company - what followed was the worst year of my life and now my young family could be homeless
A Melbourne couple who spoke out online after a trash collection company dumped 26 used mattresses on their driveway has told how they have endured the 'worst 12 months' of their lives as they fight to keep their home. Laura and Jarrod Maultby shared photos of the wall of grimy mattresses left outside their Melbourne home following a disagreement with the service, Junk, last June. The working parents of two daughters had asked the company to pick up and dispose of a pile of disintegrated wood and were billed $514 when the job was completed. The Maultbys claimed they hadn't expected the service to be so expensive, while Junk pointed to the price being outlined in prior paperwork. In the service's terms and conditions, it states that if a customer's bill is left unpaid, it would leave an equivalent amount of waste back at their property. It wasn't long before 26 dirty, old mattresses were dumped outside the family's Langwarrin home in Melbourne's southeast. Ms Maultby, on Wednesday, told the Daily Mail Australia the experience for she and her partner has been 'harrowing' after they had spent $200,000 defending themselves at court. 'Look it's harrowing, it's been the worst 12 months of our lives to be honest,' Ms Maultby told Daily Mail Australia. Ms Maultby also told of the shock she and Jarrod got when they learned they were the subject of a Supreme Court of Victoria lawsuit. 'I think every-day Australians don't expect that sort of thing,' she said. 'I don't want to comment on anything specific but it was 48 hours after querying the invoice that the mattresses were dumped. 'Look, I think given there's two court cases and one tribunal claim against us, and you know, the fact you have to pay to defend yourself, it means we're in a bit of a predicament and we may lose our home, it's not the best feeling.' Ms Maultby said they were happy to pay the invoice and move on but the issue escalated quicker than they expected. 'We're not the ones suing so we didn't instigate any lawsuit, we questioned an invoice, spoke out online and to save us from losing our house we've had to do a GofundMe campaign unfortunately,' she said. The couple now have to be careful what they say in public while the Supreme Court matter is pending. In documents obtained by the Daily Mail Australia, Junk Group Pty Ltd have issued the Maultbys a statement of claim 'pleading injurious falsehood' and breaches of consumer law. Junk, which has previously been contacted to comment, is also seeking loss of earnings due to 'falsehoods' it alleged the Maultbys posted online. According to the document, Junk alleged the Maultbys posted six separate reviews and comments about the business on multiple online platforms June 27 and June 28 last year. Junk has taken aim at three TikTok sequential videos posted by Ms Maultby, a Google review, a TrustPilot review and a review all of which have since been taken down from the internet. Junk alleged the Maultbys made false claims in the various posts including allegations it 'rips and scams its customers' and the business 'charges more than its quotes provided to customers'. The trash collection company also labelled an allegation posted online that Junk owner Richard Furnari, 'made many calls in quick succession' to the couple in a 'harassing manner' as false. Junk claimed it's weekly revenue dropped approximately $25,281 immediately after the Maultbys posted their reviews. Mr Furnari previously told the Daily Mail Australia his company collected the mattresses and they will recoup the invoice through VCAT. Ms Maultby last week launched an appeal for help after spending almost $200,000 on legal fees. She explained on a GofundMe campaign that entities associated with Junk were suing her and her husband in three separate lawsuits across two states. 'We hadn't refused to pay the invoice, we just queried it and wanted to come to a resolution with the business due to confusing quotations,' Ms Maultby wrote. 'We shared our story on social media, asking for help and advice. Our story went viral, and several news outlets covered what had happened. 'Since then, we've received numerous different legal threats from numerous persons and companies associated with the business, and have actually been sued in three separate lawsuits in different jurisdictions: one in the Supreme Court of Victoria, another in the District Court of Queensland by a franchisee of the company, and a third in VCAT.' Ms Maultby said the Queensland lawsuit was 'particularly absurd', comparing it to 'a franchised pizza business in Queensland suing someone in Victoria for leaving a bad review about pizza from a Victorian store'. Despite the couple deleting their social media posts when threatened with legal action, it 'wasn't enough to appease the business'. Ms Maultby said the Queensland matter has been dismissed but could be resumed in Victoria, and that the Supreme Court case is currently on hold. With the possibility of further legal action, the couple have turned to fundraising. 'The last year has drained our resources and nearly broken our spirits. We've already spent close to $200,000 in legal fees - clearing out our life savings, using our annual leave and borrowing heavily from our elderly relatives just to stay afloat,' she wrote. 'We are now facing the heartbreaking prospect of selling our already mortgaged home simply to defend ourselves and repay the family members who have sacrificed so much to support us. 'This isn't just about us, it's about anyone who has ever tried to speak up before. No one should have to defend themselves in three courts across two states for telling the truth.' The couple have so far raised $2,585 at the time of publishing.
